The Meaning and Symbolism of Clover
The editor introduces you to the symbolism and meaning of clover and the maintenance tips for green plants, such as the red clover, as follows:
Clover, also known as trefoil, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Fabaceae family. Clover mainly has two types: white clover and red clover. Clover is a high-quality legume forage, with soft stems and leaves, abundant leafage, high crude protein content, and low crude fiber content. It can be used for grazing livestock and feeding herbivorous fish. Among them, white clover plants are short and have strong adaptability, making them an excellent plant for urban greening and constructing lawns.
Clover Flower Legend
The flower symbolism of clover is happiness.
In legend, if someone finds a clover with four leaves, also known as a four-leaf clover (also known as lucky clover), they will receive happiness. Therefore, in some European countries, people who see clover by the roadside almost always pick it up, flatten it, and keep it for future days to give to others, to express their good wishes for their friends. One leaf of the four-leaf clover represents a wish, one leaf represents hope, one leaf represents love, and the last leaf represents happiness.
The legendary four-leaf clover was brought to the ground by Eve from the Garden of Eden in heaven, with the flower symbolism of happiness. Also known as clover. It usually has only three leaves, and the chance of finding four leaves is only one in ten thousand, implying obtaining happiness and the favor of heaven.
Morphological Characteristics of Clover
Clover is a perennial herbaceous plant. The plant is low, 30-40 cm tall. It has a direct root system, with a symbiotic relationship with rhizobia in the roots, and strong root tillering ability and regeneration ability. It has many branches, with creeping stems growing on the ground, nodes rooting and sprouting new buds. It has compound leaves with three small leaves, small leaves are obovate or inverted heart-shaped, base cuneate, apex obtuse or slightly concave, margins with fine锯齿, leaf center with a "V"-shaped white晕; stipules elliptical, amplexicaul. It flowers in summer and autumn, with capitate racemes, spherical, with long peduncles, white flowers, occasionally light red. It flowers and sets seeds at the same time, with seeds maturing at different times, and seeds are small.
Common Clover Varieties
Clover mainly has three types: white clover, crimson clover, and red clover.
1. White Clover. Also known as white trefoil. First cultivated in the Netherlands in the late 16th century, it is now widely distributed in temperate regions. It is cultivated in the south of the Huaihe River and the southwest region of China. Perennial herbs, rooting on the ground. Stems are thin and soft, creeping on the ground, plant height 30-60 cm. Petioles are long, small leaves are obovate or sub-obovate, leaf margins have fine锯齿. Capitate inflorescences, with 10-80 flowers, white or light purple-red. Pod fruits are obovate rectangular, with 3-4 seeds per pod. Seeds are nearly round, yellow, 1000-grain weight 0.5-0.7 grams.
2. Crimson Clover. Also known as crimson trefoil. Native to Europe, distributed in northeastern Europe and North America. It is widely introduced and cultivated in the north of the Huai River and the south of the Yangtze River in China. It can be used as forage, ground cover vegetation, or green manure, and can also be used as a filling crop. Annual or biennial herbs. Stems are round and hollow, about 70 cm tall. Leaves are nearly round, both sides have short hair, petioles are large, stipules are round and large, membranous. Capitate inflorescences are cylindrical, flowers are deep red. Pod fruits are obovate, containing 1 seed. Seeds are round, yellow or brown, 1000-grain weight 3.2 grams.
3. Red Clover. Also known as red trefoil. Distributed in Europe, the United States, New Zealand and other regions, it is also cultivated in the south of the Huai River in China. Stems are erect or obliquely ascending, round with concave-convex longitudinal条纹, 60-100 cm tall. Small leaves have light white V-shaped patterns, leaf surface has hair, margin entire. Capitate inflorescences, with more than 100 flowers, red-purple, self-pollinated but does not set fruit. Pod fruits are obovate, the pericarp is membranous, containing 1 seed per pod. Seeds are kidney-shaped or nearly triangular, yellow-brown, 1000-grain weight about 1.5 grams.
Application Value of Clover
The lawn built with Poaceae草坪 grass species has become a limiting factor in the development of the lawn industry due to frequent trimming and high water consumption, while using white clover to build lawns can overcome these disadvantages. The advantages of using white clover to build lawns are:
(1) No need for pruning, low management intensity. The stems of white clover are creeping, the plants are short, usually 10-20 cm tall. Therefore, the lawn does not need to be pruned.
(2) Less watering, rough management. White clover has a developed root system, can use deep soil moisture, and is not strict with soil moisture. Therefore, the number of watering can be reduced, and the management can be rough.
(3) Natural renewal, long-lasting lawn. White clover does not need to be pruned, so the plant can bloom and set fruit. Seeds fall to the ground and grow naturally, achieving natural renewal and making the lawn long-lasting.
(4) Strong invasive ability, good ornamental value. The creeping stems of white clover spread in all directions, and the stem nodes take root and form new independent clusters when the mother plant dies or the stem is cut. Therefore, it has strong invasiveness. Clover is a broad-leaved plant, the leaves are horizontally extended, which can effectively cover the ground and suppress the growth of weeds. Therefore, once the white clover lawn is formed, it is not easy for weeds to invade, making the lawn neat and beautiful.
Geographical Distribution of Clover
Clover is native to southern Asia Minor and southeastern Europe. It is widely distributed in temperate and subtropical high-altitude regions. It can be planted in other regions except the south of China.
Clover
Clover's Living Habits
Clover is cold-tolerant, when the temperature drops to 0°C, some old leaves turn yellow, the small leaves on the main root stick to the ground and stop growing, but still maintain green. Therefore, it has a long green period. It is not strict with soil, can adapt to various soil types, and grows well in acidic soil. It prefers warm, sunny, and well-drained environmental conditions. It grows slowly in dry conditions and some plants die in high temperatures. It is resistant to pruning and trampling, has strong regeneration ability, and can grow new leaves within 10 days after pruning. It can recover within 3-5 days after high-intensity trampling or rolling. It easily grows tall in strong shade, causing poor growth. It has strong resistance to harmful gas pollution and resistance to diseases and pests.
The detailed explanation of the symbolism and meaning of clover and the symbolism and meaning of red clover shared above, hoping this article can bring you help in green plant management!