Wild Flowers East of the Rockies 177 



YELLOW CLOVER; HOP CLOVER (Trifolium ag- 

 rarium) (EUROPEAN). This clover, that came to 

 our shores, long ago, from across the water, is very 

 common in the eastern half of the United States and 

 southern Canada; we find it growing most abundant- 

 ly along roadsides and in dry or sandy fields. 



The stem is quite smooth, slender, erect and 

 slightly branching and grows from 6 to 15 inches 

 high. The leaves have very short stems, in fact 

 they are practically seated on the stalk; the lower 

 ones have large stipules at their bases; they are thin 

 and soft and have fine, feather-veining on each of 

 the three small leaflets making up the leaf. 



The flowers grow singly, or in clusters of two or 

 three, at the ends of the branches. The flower head 

 is oblong, densely crowded with small, golden-yel- 

 low florets, having an alternate, scaly arrangement. 

 They bloom from the bottom of the head, upwards 

 and, as they mature, turn yellowish-brown and are 

 reflexed, resembling dried hops. Several stalks may 

 spring from a single root, so that the plant sometimes 

 has quite a bushy appearance. Its flowering season 

 is from June until September. 



LOW HOP CLOVER (Trifolium procumbens) (EU- 

 ROPEAN) is a very similar species with a low, 

 spreading, branching stem and with the three leaflets, 

 notched at the ends and the middle one with a short 

 stem. It is a common species throughout our range. 



YELLOW MELILOT; YELLOW SWEET CLOVER 

 (Melilotus officinalis) (EUROPEAN) is a common, 

 weed-like plant found everywhere in waste places. 

 The stem is tall and branching, growing from 2 to 4 

 feet high. The leaves are trifoliate, each leaflet be- 

 ing finely toothed and the middle one having a short 

 stem with a double bend. The yellow, clover-like 

 florets are in long, loose racemes, terminating the 

 branches; they have a sweet fragrance. 



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