Red clover

Short-lived perennial. Develops a crown at or slightly above the soil surface, consisting of an accumulation of buds formed at the plant base. The basal buds produce upright, pubescent, hollow stems, 60-80 cm. These buds are more numerous in late flowering than early flowering types. Overwinters as a root-stock with a crown. Leaves are trifoliate, pubescent and alternate with a pale, inverted, crescent-shaped mark on the mid-upper surface. Tap root extends to one metre or more in depth but older plants have mainly adventitious and lateral roots emanating from the crown. Stems sometimes root at the nodes when in close contact with a moist soil surface. Inflorescences, terminal on main and axillary stems, consist of many ovoid, compound racemes with numerous pink or purple florets. The florets are cross-pollinated by bumble bees and honey bees. Seed pods contain one or two kidney-shaped seeds which are yellow, brown or purple in colour, with purple seeds being generally heavier than the others. Mature seed lots usually contain a proportion of hard seeds, depending on the incidence of high temperatures during seed set.