Trifolium repens. Dutch Clover, 



TRIFOLIUM LinnaiGen. PL Diadelphia Decandria 



mores fubcapitati. Legumen vix calyce longius, non dehifcetis* deciduum. 

 Rail Synopf.Gen. 24. Herb^i -flore papilionaceo seu leguminosje. 

 ^TRIFOLIUM repens -capitulis umbellaribus, leguminibus tetrafpermis, caule repente. Lin. Syjt. Vegetah. 



p. 572. Sp. PL p. 1080. Flor. Suec. n. 665. 

 T RIFOLIUM caule repente ; fpicis depreffis-; filiquis tetrafpermis. Mailer Hill, n. i6j. 

 TRIFOLIUM repens ScopolL FL CarnioL 

 TRIFOLIUM pratenfe album C. B. pin. 327. 



TRIFOLIUM minus pratenfe, flore albo Ger. emac. 11%. Parkinfon. iiio. Rail. Syn.p. 327. White- 



flower'd Trefoil. 

 Hudfon. FL Angl. ed. 2. p. 324. 

 ■Lightfoct FL Scot. p. 404. 



RADIX perenms, fibrofa. | ROOT perennial and fibrous. 



CAULES plurimi repentes late fparfi, teretes, fim- | STALKS numerous, creeping, fpreading wide, round, 



PW1WT¥ P hces ' §^ bn ' VI , ndes ' feu pwpuMfcentes. * unbranched, fmooth, green, or purplim. 



STiPUL^ ovato-lanceolatae, venoiae, venis purpuraf- | STIPULE ovate and pointed, veiny, the veins 



centibus. .. , t purphfh. 



FOLIA terna, variabiha, nunc ovata, obtufa, nunc | LEAVES growing three together, variable as to their 



obcordata, emarginata, acute ferrata, vmdia, * fhape, being fometimes ovate and blunt, 



feu purpurafcentia, macula lunulata albicante | fometimes invedely heartfhaped and notched 



plerumque notata. | at the end> fharply faxved round the edge, 



¥ of a green or purplim colour and having 



. I moft. commonly a whitifh mark in the center. 



PEDUNCULI longiffimi, erefti, itriati. | FLOWER- T ALKS verv long, upright and itriated. 



FLORES plerumque albi, purpurafcentes Ctiam oc- | FLOWERS generally white, but fometimes purplim, 



currant, glomerati, junioribus ereftis, ma- | growing in a clutter, the young ones upright, 



tuns denexis, tuicis. y the old ones hanging down and becoming 



I brown. 



CAPITULA majufcula, prasfertim in culta planta* | HEADS large, efpecially in the cultivated plant, and 



fphaerica. | of a round fhape. 



CALYX: Perianthium monophyllum, quinqueden- | CALYX: a Periantkium of one leaf, having ten 



tatum, fofpius coloratura, ftriis decern eleva- £ teeth, generally coloured, marked with ten 



tis notatum, dentibus fetaceis, duobus fupe- | ribs, the teeth briftle-fhaped, the two up- 



rioribus paulo longioribus.j^-, 1. f permofl: fomewhat the longeft. fig. 1 . 



COROLLA papihonacea^ calyce duplo longior ; Vex- | COROLLA papilionaceous, twice the length of the 



iLLUMoblongum,fubemarginatum,reflexum, * calyx; Standard oblong, flightly notched 



fig. 2. Al« duae, vexillo multo breviores ; % at the extremity, and turning back; fig. 2. 



fig. 3. Carina brevimma* bafi bifida./^-. 4. | Wings two, much fhorter than the ftandard; 



f fig. 3. Keel very fhort, divided at the bafe. 



STAMINA: Filamenta diadelpha, fimplexetnovem- | STAMINA: ten Filaments, one fingle, the reft 



fidum ; fig. 5. 6. Anthers parvas, luteae. ? united into one body ; fig. 5. 6, Anthers 



I fmall, and yellow. 



PISTILLUM: Germen cblongum» teretiufculum ; % PISTILLUM : Germen oblong, roundifh ; Style 



Stylus fubulatus, longitudine germinis ; | tapering, the length of the germen ; Stig- 



Stigma flavefcens, capitatum. fig. 7. I ma yellowifh, forming a little head. fig. 7. 



PERICARPIUM: Legumen oblongum, _ teres, mu- * SEED-VESSEL: an oblong, round, jointed pod, fig. 8; 



cronatum. torulofum. fig. 8. continens | terminating in a point and containing 



SEMINA duo ad quatuor, fig. 9« | SEEDS from two to four. fig. 9. 



THE Creeping or Dutch Clover may be confidered as one of our moft valuable Britifh plants, the greateft part 

 of the feed tifed in this country is imported from Holland, where it is cultivated on account of its feed, and hence 

 it has acquired the name of Dutch Clover, as it is a plant which grows naturally wild in this Country, on dry, 

 gravelly, '4nd indifferent foils, it is probable it might alfo be Cultivated for the fame purpofe in many parts or. 

 Great Britain, where land and labour are cheap, and that to great advantage. 



The quantity of Seed fold annually in this country is aitonilhingly great, Meffrs. Gordon and Dermer who do 

 not particularly deal in this article fell every year forty or fifty tons weight of it. 



Thofe plants which have creeping roots or ftalks have the advantage of moft others in point of growth, and 

 when a plant of this kind growing naturally in a barren foil, comes to have the advantage of cultivation, it 

 flouriffres amazingly, fo does the Dutch Clover, a fingle feedling of which I have known in a garden to cover 

 more ground than a yard fqu'are, in one fummer. 



Although this plant does not grow fo tall as fome others, yet the vaft number of Iblks, leaves, and blof- 

 foms which it throws out produces a great bottom in a pafture, and thereby ftamp a particular value on it. 



It is not a plant however which makes any great figure in the fpring, but its chief excellence confifts in its 

 producing herbage in dry fummefs, late in the feafoti, when moft of the grafles are burnt up* ir then covers the 

 fields with a beautiful verdure, and affords plenty of food to the Cattle, or hay for a fecond crop. 



There is an idea very prevalent among farmers, that afhes alone fpread on land will produce this plant in 

 abundance, they do not know, or will not believe, that the plant previoufly exifted in the ground, and is only 

 render'd larger and more confpicuous by the manure. 



Of the Trifolium repens I have obferved two remarkable varieties, viz. one with leaves of a deep purple colour, 

 cultivated in gardens as an ornamental plant, the other proliferous* having fmall heads of leaves growing out 

 of the flowers, this 1 found feveral years ago on the left-hand fide of the canal, leading from Limehoufe to 

 Bromley^ there are likewife feveral other varieties, which depend oil the richnefs and poverty of foil. 



