Trifolium medium
zigzag clover
Overview
Trifolium medium is a creeping perennial clover with wiry, zigzag stems, named for the way the flowering stems bend sharply at each node. It grows 8-20 inches (20-50 cm) tall and spreads underground by rhizomes to form loose, often extensive patches. The leaves are divided into three narrow, oval leaflets, 0.8-2 inches (2-5 cm) long, darker green and longer than those of red clover and usually without the pale crescent band on each leaflet. From June to September the stems carry rounded to oval flower heads 0.8-1.4 inches (2-3.5 cm) across, packed with deep reddish-purple pea flowers on very short or no stalks, each head cradled by two leaves at its base. It grows in rough grassland, wood edges, scrub, hedge banks, and road verges, on neutral to mildly acid or calcareous soils, often in drier and more shaded spots than red clover. Like other clovers it fixes nitrogen through root bacteria and is visited mainly by long-tongued bumblebees. It can be slow to establish from seed but spreads steadily once its rhizomes take hold. It dies back to ground level over winter.
Native Range
Native across Europe and into western Asia, from the British Isles and Scandinavia east to the Caucasus and western Siberia. It has been introduced to parts of North America.Suggested Uses
Grown in wildflower meadows, grassland mixes, and pollinator and conservation plantings, and used as a nitrogen-fixing component of rough pasture. It suits naturalistic and wildlife schemes on drier soils. Its spreading rhizomes make it unsuited to small, tidy borders.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height8" - 1'8"
Width/Spread1' - 2'
Reaches mature size in approximately 2 years
Bloom Information
Reddish-purple flower heads open from June to September, a few on each stem over a long spell. Long-tongued bumblebees are the main pollinators, reaching the nectar at the base of the deep flowers. Seed set is often sparse, and much of the plant spread is by rhizome rather than by seed.
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
dark greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 5-9 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight