Native to meadows and woodlands of Europe and Central Asia, this herbaceous perennial is a member of the legume family, Fabaceae, that also includes beans, lentils, and lupines. Although not native, it has naturalized in the US and may be found in disturbed sites such as along roadsides and in lawns and gardens. It is a nitrogen fixing plant so tolerates infertile soils and is often used as green manure or cover crop. In addition, it is a valuable forage crop, attracts both bumble bees and honey bees, and provides food for rabbits. In the past, it was used in lawn mixtures. White clover tolerates a variety of soil types, moist or dry conditions, and sun or partial shade in USDA Zones 3-10.

Description: White clover is a prostrate, mat-forming plant that grows up to 4″ tall and spreads to 12″ by creeping stolons and seeds. The vivid green leaves usually consist of 3 oval leaflets each with white markings. In late spring, rounded clusters of 20-40 white flowers, sometimes tinged with pink, appear singly on leafless stalks that arise from the creeping stems, and are 1/2 to 3/4″ wide.

Control: White clover often forms patches where the lawn lacks nitrogen and is thin and lacks, and can easily be pulled out by hand. Large infestations can be treated in the fall with herbicides that contain a combination of dicamba, clopyralid, fluroxypyr, and quinclorac.