Trifolieae
This week I chose to focus on clovers! The species name Trifolium means "three-leaves" so you can expect the majority of clovers to have this typical count. As many of the other medicinal uses of plants, clovers can be used in tea, jellies, garnishes for salad, and even ground up and used as a gluten free baking flour (Schofield). I will have to try the flour tip as my mom is gluten-free and I am interested in how this tastes as I am not familiar with anything clover. They have a wide spread reach and are common in meadows, lawns, gardens, and many other grassy areas in nature (Kumar 1435). Just take a look outside along your driveway and you may find a patch! Clovers can help with soil nutrients and are a great natural pollination plants for bees (Wilmer). I know I have seen an increase in clover lawns being popular within the U.S. to try and help revive the bee population.
Clovers have been a staple in my family ever since I was little. Four leaf clovers are considered good luck since they deviate from the commonly found three leaf rule. When we were younger, my brother and I would see who could find a four leaf clover the fastest or who could find the most in one sitting. We would then bring them inside and pressed them in a book so we could keep our luck and carry them around with us. I still have a four leaf clover papier-mâché bookmark that I made in elementary school.
Citations:
Janice J. Schofield. Alaska’s Wild Plants, Revised Edition : A Guide to Alaska’s Edible and Healthful Harvest. Alaska Northwest Books, 2020. EBSCOhost, research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=0d60d39e-3da1-34cc-9d8a-4b9a94fb4768.
Kumar, Anuj. Medicinal Plants of Uttarakhand in 3 Vols. Astral International Pvt Ltd, 2022. EBSCOhost, research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=db0166f8-9590-3e63-acc2-bb8c51f84950.
Pat Willmer. Pollination and Floral Ecology. Princeton University Press, 2011. EBSCOhost, research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=705cd347-5187-3f2b-ad7e-af5b4bae017f.
Comentarios
It is so interesting that clovers can be used to make gluten-free flour! I would not have guessed that. There's something so innocent about these clovers. Maybe it's the memories of collecting them as children, or their small size and round edges. I will have to collect some and try to incorporate them into a recipe sometime! I did not know about their benefits in helping bee populations. I would definitely be a proponent for more clover patches and lawns in lieu of grass to help support the bees. Plus, who doesn't love clovers? Seems like a win-win.
Hi;
I found it interesting that you chose the simple clover to write about. A plant located just about anywhere around the world and is Native to Europe, the plant has naturalized to lawns, roadsides and fields throughout North America. (1) I have three memories with this plant. As a child, my Aunt owned a ranch in Idaho, and they raised clover for their cattle. Although cattle eat it, the clover is rich and was given in small amounts to enrich their diets. The next memory is from my mom when she would pick clover and place it in honey to bring out the flavor of clovers in the honey. It smelled so good I would always want seconds on my toast. Third, like you, my children would spend their summer days in Ireland looking for that four-leaf clover and would be thrilled when they found one.
I was surprised at how many edible ways a person could eat clover. I knew about the tea, but the jelly, salad garnish, and particularly the flour were intriguing, and I now want to try some of these ideas.
Thank you. I learned much from your article-
Gayleen
(1). https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/trifolium-repens/
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