Circular No. 17.— (Agros. 53). 



United States Department of Agricnlture, 



DIVISION OF AGROSTOLOGY. 



[Grass and Forage Plant Investigation 



CRIMSOX 



DESCRIPTION 



nown as scar- 



Crimson clover {Trifolium incarnatum L.), 

 let clover, German 

 clover, Italian 

 clover, and carna- 

 tion clover, is an 

 annual plant na- 

 tive to southern 

 Europe and has 

 long been culti- 

 vated as a forage 

 crop in the warmer 

 portions of that 

 country. It is an 

 erect, tufted plant, 

 1 to 2 feet high, 

 with soft - hairy 

 stems and leaves, 

 and usually bright 

 scarlet flowers in 

 elongated heads. 

 The root system is 

 ^vell developed and 

 penetrates deeply 

 into the soil and 

 the plant is a vig- 

 orous grower. The 

 seed is larger than 

 lliat of red clover, 

 oval in shape, 

 bright reddish-yel- 

 low when fresh 

 (paler in the white- 

 flowered variety) 

 and has a highly 

 polislied surface. The plants stool freely, many stems arising from 

 a single root. 



Fig. 1.— Crimson Clover. 



