How to identify Hare's-Foot Clover (Trifolium arvense)

How to identify Hare's-Foot Clover (Trifolium arvense)

Hare's-Foot Clover, also known as Stone Clover, Rabbit Foot Clover

Hare's-Foot Clover exhibits distinctive soft, fluffy flower heads that evoke imagery of a hare’s extremities. Its growth pattern is either annual or biannual. The foliage consists of small, pinnate leaves with narrow leaflets, while the plant itself reaches a modest height of up to 18 inches (45 cm). Its stems are wiry and sparsely leafed, and the entire plant is covered in fine hairs. Primarily, hare's-Foot Clover thrives in well-drained, sandy substrates found along the peripheries of fields and roadways.

Lifespan: Annual, Biennial, Perennial

Plant Type: Herb

Leaf Type: Semi-evergreen

Quickly Identify Hare's-Foot Clover

Fuzzy grayish pink flowers hide within a pink/gray calyx, measuring 0.4-1 inch (1-2.5 cm).

Soft, pinnate leaves with narrow leaflets, each 1/2-1 inch (1.3-2.5 cm) long.

Erect, multi-branched stem with varying thickness and scattered fine hairs.

Modest pod in pale brown, housing a single seed, measuring a few millimeters.

Grows up to 18 inches (45 cm) in well-drained sandy areas, with wiry stems.

Detailed Traits of Hare's-Foot Clover

Leaf Features

The leaves of hare's-Foot Clover are composed of sets of three sessile leaflets, each measuring 1/2 to 1 inch (1.3 to 2.5 cm) in length and about 1/3 inch (0.8 cm) in width. They have a soft, silky texture. The leaf margins are either finely serrated or entire. The leaflets taper at the base, have a blunt or rounded tip, and are widest in the middle. This distinctive shape and texture are key features for identifying hare's-Foot Clover.

Leaf Shape

Oblanceolate ,

Elliptic

Leaf Type

Trifoliate

Leaf Base

Attenuate

Leaf Arrangement

Alternate

Leaf Apex

Acute ,

Obtuse ,

Mucronate

Leaf Margin

Entire

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Flower Features

Hare's-Foot Clover flowers are dense, fuzzy, and vary in shape from round to cylindrical. They exhibit a unique grayish pink hue and are primarily hidden by a pink/gray calyx. These bloom proudly at the tips of branching stems and arise from the leaf axils. Each flower head is about 0.4 to 1 inch (1 to 2.5 cm) in size. The flowers lack a notable scent and bloom predominantly in the summer months, showcasing their unique texture and color.

Corolla Type

Apetalous

Inflorescence Type

Capitulum/Head

Learn About the Flower Glossary

Stem Features

The stem of hare's-Foot Clover is erect to ascending, often multi-branched, and features a hairy surface texture. Generally terete and typically green, the stem can also exhibit a reddish tint. It shows a varying thickness, adapting to the plant's growth conditions. The combination of its upright posture, branching pattern, and color variability make it a distinctive identifying feature for this species. The presence of dense hairs further adds to its unique texture.

Learn About the Stem Glossary

Fruit Features

The fruit of hare's-Foot Clover is a modest pod, discreetly nestled within the protective calyx. This pod is typically small in size and harbors a single seed. Upon maturity, the pod may exhibit a pale brown hue and a slightly velvety texture. Its reduced form, generally measuring a few millimeters in length, is characteristic of hare's-Foot Clover's fruits and may require keen observation. The discrete size and encapsulated nature of the pod are distinctive attributes that assist in the identification of this species' fruit.

Fruit Type

Legume

Learn About the Fruit Glossary

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Hare's-Foot Clover and Their Similar Plants

White clover vs. Hare's-Foot Clover: What's The Difference?

White clover (Trifolium repens) is a perennial herb, one of the most cultivated species of clover. It can be found on lawns and grasslands all over the world. White clover is often cultivated as a forage plant and used for green manure in agriculture.

Red clover vs. Hare's-Foot Clover: What's The Difference?

Red clover is widely cultivated as a fodder plant and green manure because its roots can fix nitrogen and increase the fertility of the soil. The cultivated Trifolium pratense is inevitably escaped and is now naturalized globally, including the United States and Australia. Its flowers are attractive, so it is also cultivated as an ornamental plant.

Lesser trefoil vs. Hare's-Foot Clover: What's The Difference?

Lesser trefoil (Trifolium dubium) is a species of clover. It natives to Europe and Southwest Asia, and has introduced to many parts of the world as a pasture. This plant is considered to be the prototype of the traditional Irish shamrock symbol.

Alsike clover vs. Hare's-Foot Clover: What's The Difference?

The common name for Trifolium hybridum (alsike clover) comes from Alsike, a parish in Sweden. It was the place where Carl Linne, a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, first researched the plant. Indigenous to Europe and Asia, it's found on grasslands and mountainsides in areas with temperate climates.

Buffalo clover vs. Hare's-Foot Clover: What's The Difference?

Like many native clovers of the Eastern United States, Trifolium reflexum's populations have declined considerably in the past 200 years. For this species, fire suppression is indicated as a significant cause for decline.

Carolina clover vs. Hare's-Foot Clover: What's The Difference?

It is a small erect herbaceous annual, or sometimes biennial plant, growing to 10 to 40 cm tall. Like all clovers, it has leaves divided into three sessile leaflets, which are slender, 1 to 2 cm long and 3 to 5 mm broad, and sometimes edged with small hairs and finely serrated. The leaves have a pair of stipules at the base, often tipped in red.

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Key Facts About Hare's-Foot Clover

Attributes of Hare's-Foot Clover

Lifespan

Annual, Biennial, Perennial

Plant Type

Herb

Plant Height

15 cm to 46 cm

Leaf Color

Green

Flower Size

2.5 cm

Flower Color

Pink

White

Stem Color

Green

Red

Burgundy

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Scientific Classification of Hare's-Foot Clover

Phylum

Vascular plants

Class

Dicotyledons

Order

Legumes, milkworts and allies

Family

Legume

Genus

Clovers

Species

Hare's-Foot Clover (Trifolium arvense)

Learn More About the Hare's-Foot Clover

Distribution Map of Hare's-Foot Clover

Hare's-Foot Clover is native to the temperate zones of Eurasia and North Africa, with its presence spanning from the western Mediterranean region to Central Asia and the Middle East. It has been introduced to various other areas including parts of South America, Oceania, and Southeast Asia. This species is also cultivated, indicating a broader distribution due to its use in different regions around the globe.

Native

Cultivated

Invasive

Potentially invasive

Exotic

No species reported

Learn More About the Hare's-Foot Clover

A Comprehensive Guide to Hare's-Foot Clover How to Grow and Care for Hare's-Foot Clover