Red Clover

Red Clover
Red Clover. Trifolium pratense.
Fabaceae, the pea, bean or legume family.

Description:
Plant: Hairy plant with clover-like leaves and dense heads of small, pink, pea-like flowers. Growing 1'-2' if not mown down. Short-lived perennial.
Flowers: Pink, small, pea-like, about 1/2" long, in dense heads about 1" across on a hairy stem. Usually subtended by a pair of leaves.
Leaves: Alternate, compound with three nearly sessile, oval leaflets. Leaflets have light, V-shaped marking near the center.
Fruit: Head of small, dry seed-like fruits.
Blooming: May-September
Habitat: Fields, roadsides.

Comments: Introduced from Europe, and often planted as a forage crop, and to enrich the soil as the roots harbor nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

Where to find it: Common near paths and in occasionally mown field areas.