1*20 
BRITISH WILD FLOWERS. 
and are erect when first expanded ; but they become pendulous before they decay. The plant continues in 
flower from May till September. The leaflets are inversely heart-shaped, and each is marked with a kind of 
crescent, or semicircular band, which is of a much lighter colour than the rest of the leaf. Cattle are particularly 
fond of this plant, and it is frequently sown when it is wished to lay down land in pasture. This plant is 
sometimes called white Trefoil ; and it is generally supposed to be the type of the Shamrock, the national 
badge of Ireland. 
2.— THE PURPLE CLOVER, OR HONEYSUCKLE TREFOIL. (Trifolium pratense, Lin.) 
Engravings. —Eng. Bot., t. 1770 ; 2nd ed., 1.1031. i unequal. Calyx hairy; four of its teeth equal. Stipulas ovate, 
Specific Character. —Spikes dense. Stems ascending. Petals | bristle-pointed. (Smith.) 
Description, &c. —This is the common purple Clover, and it is particularly abundant in calcareous soils. 
The heads of flowers bear considerable resemblance, except in colour, to the Dutch Clover ; but the leaflets are 
much more pointed, and they are hairy. The light-coloured band on these leaflets is also much whiter than 
that on the leaflets of the Dutch Clover, and it forms a Vandyke, instead of a semicircle. This species is also a 
perennial, and it flowers from May till September ; but there is another kind of purple Clover, (T. medium ,) 
which is only occasionally found wdld in England, which does not flower till July. This last species has a very 
large head of dark purple flowers, and is decidedly ornamental. Its leaflets are much longer and thinner than 
those of the common purple Clover, and they have no white mark. 
3.— THE STARRY-HEADED TREFOIL. (Trifolium stellatum, Lin.) 
Engravings.— Eng. Bot., t. 1545 ; 2nd ed., 1.1034 ; and our fig. 
2, in PI. 28. 
Specific Character. —Spikes hairy, roundish. Stipulas elliptical. 
Calyx-teeth longer than the corolla; after flowering dilated, leafy, 
reticulated and spreading ; tube closed. Leaflets inversely heart- 
shaped. (Smith.) 
Description, &c. —This very curious species is only found on the sea-coast between Shoreham and Brighton, 
particularly near the former place, where it grows in great abundance. It is an annual, and flowers in July 
and August. 
THE CREAM-COLOURED CLOVER. (T. ochroleucum, Lin.) 
This species very closely resembles the Dutch Clover ; but its flowers are of a pale yellow, and its leaflets, 
have no light-coloured band. It is a perennial, and flowers in June and July. 
THE SEA TREFOIL. (T. maritimum, Huds.) 
This species has purple flowers, disposed in an oblong head. It only grows on the sea-coast. It is an 
annual, and it flowers in June and July. 
THE HARE’S-FOOT TREFOIL. (T. arvense, Lin.) 
This species has its flowers in long cylindrical heads, which are ornamental from the dark purple bristles 
that fringe the division of the calyxes, though the flowers themselves are small and inconspicuous. The leaves 
are trifoliate, with pointed leaflets, which are not marked with any band. 
