Trifolium repens (White clover)

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Trifolium repens L.

White clover

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Rosidae	Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
Order	Fabales	Legumes (pea and bean families)
Family	Fabaceae	Legume family (peas and beans)
Genus	Trifolium	“Three-leaved,” for the 3-leaf clusters
Species	repens	Having creeping and rooting stems

About plant names...

White clover is native to Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia. It has been introduced to many other places as a pasture crop, including North America, where it is now abundant. White clovers are common in lawns. If you are battling them as weeds, you might want to reconsider, since they and other clovers trap nitrogen from the air, converting it to fertilizer. Clovers help lawns stay healthy.

Here is a comparison among red, white, alsike, and crimson clovers:

6/14/2010 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm)

6/14/2010 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 3½ × 2½″ (9.8 × 6.6 cm)

	You are here Trifolium repens	*Trifolium hybridum*	*Trifolium incarnatum*
Common Name	white clover	alsike clover	crimson clover
Plant	Plant stems are 4-16″ (10-40 cm) long, but often lying on their sides, so these clovers are usually close to the ground	1-2′ (30-60 cm) tall, typically somewhat smaller than red clover and larger than white clover. It has multiple hairless, fairly flexible stems	1½′ (50 cm) high.
Flowers	On flower stalks 1-4″ (2.5-10 cm) long. Flowerheads are ½-1¼″ (1.3-3.2 cm) around, rounded, white, sometimes pinkish	½-¾″ (1.3-1.9 cm) around, and may be pink on the bottom, grading to white on the top; or pink throughout. The shade of pink is lighter than with red clover	Deep red, forming rounded conical flowerheads about 1″ (2.5 cm) tall and ⅝″ (1.7 cm) around. Flowering occurs during April to May.
Leaves	In groups of 3. Leaflets are oval, ½-1¼″ (1.3-3.2 cm) long, with a slight indentation at the end. Each leaflet has a pale green "V" close to the base and slightly toothed leaf edges	In groups of three, each about ¾″ (2 cm) long, and attached directly to the stem that supports the leaf cluster. Leaves are oval-shaped, with smooth-appearing edges that have tiny teeth, and no chevrons	Leaves are round or oval, in groups of three, each roughly at right angles to the others.
Range/ Zones
Habitats	Waste ground, pastures, open fields, roadsides, railroads	Moist meadows near woodlands, pastures, abandoned fields, and roadsides
Type	Wild	Wild	Wild
Occurrence	Very common	Common, but less so than red and white clovers

Identification: Plant stems are 4-16″ (10-40 cm) long, but often lying on their sides, so these clovers are usually close to the ground. Leaves are in groups of 3 as with all clovers. Leaflets are oval, ½-1¼″ (1.3-3.2 cm) long, with a slight indentation at the end. Each leaflet bears a pale green "V" close to the base, and slightly toothed leaf edges. Flowers are on stalks 1-4″ (2.5-10 cm) long. Flowerheads are ½-1¼″ (1.3-3.2 cm) around, and rounded. Flowers are usually white, but may be quite pink.

Online References:

in Paghat's Garden

Missouriplants.com

Wikipedia

The Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide

Illinois Wildflowers

The USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database

Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

Montana Plant Life

CalPhotos

EFloras