Golden clover
Prepared by Jennifer L. D’Appollonio, Assistant Scientist, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469. Updated February 2018.
Scientific name: Trifolium aureum Pollich
Common name(s): golden clover, large hop trefoil, hop clover, palmate hop clover
Link(s): USDA PLANTS Profile, Go Botany
Images: (to see enlargements [PC]: click on image, then right click and choose “view image”)
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- in flower, early June
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- leaf detail
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- flower detail
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- late June
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- late July
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- late August
Description:
– biennial
– generally flowers June through August in ME
-leaves are
- compound
- alternate
– may be confused with T. campestre or T. dubium; see left sidebar of Go Botany webpage
Habitat:
-disturbed sites
-meadows
-fields
-roadsides
Natural History:
-the name comes from the aging flower heads resembling dried hops
Source(s):
Heinrich, B. 1976. Flowering phenologies: Bog, woodland, and disturbed habitats. Ecology. 57(5):890-899.
Go Botany. “Trifolium Aureum Pollich.” Trifolium Aureum (Palmate Hop Clover): Go Botany, 2021, gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/trifolium/aureum/.