Clover is a mat-forming herbaceous plant common in lawns, fields, and roadsides. It is naturalized in many regions globally and is valued for its forage and soil nitrogen-fixing abilities.
Clover produces trifoliate green leaves with red or purplish hues or white flecks and white blossoms.
When managing desired vegetation, distinguishing between clover and similar-looking weeds is crucial for effective weed control. Clover-like weeds often mimic the appearance of the true clover but can be invasive, requiring specific eradication strategies.
Here, we’ll explore several common weeds that resemble clover, detailing their characteristics, nativity, and the best eradication methods.
1. Black Medicago (Medicago lupulina)
- Local Name: Black clover, Black Nonesuch, Black medick
- Family: Fabaceae
- Annual or Perennial: Annual or perennial
Medicago lupulina is a broadleaf evergreen plant that spreads about 2 feet across the ground. It is commonly found in lawns, pastures, fields, and other disturbed lands.
The weed resembles clover with green oval trifoliate leaves, but its leaves are more pointed and the central leaflet has a longer stalk.
It is native to:
- Europe
- Asia
- North Africa
Removal Methods
- Mechanical control: Hand-pulling individual plants before they flower and set seed can provide effective control for small infestations.
- Chemical control: Apply herbicides like Dicamba, 2,4-D, Fluroxypyr, or MCPP.
2. Yellow Woodsorrel (Oxalis stricta)
- Local Name: Common yellow woodsorrel, Lemon clover, Oxalis, Woodsorrel, Shamrock plant.
- Family: Oxalidaceae
- Annual or Perennial: Perennial
Yellow woodsorrel is a perennial weed that grows 6-15 inches tall. It is a common weed in lawns, gardens, meadows, grasslands, and disturbed areas.
Oxalis has trifoliate leaves, similar to clover. However, the leaves are more heart-shaped, unlike the oval shape of a clover leaf. It also is a perennial weed like the clover.
It is native to:
- North America
- Europe
- Asia
Removal Methods
- Mechanical control: They are relatively easy to pull or dig out and it’s best done before they develop seed pods.
- Cultural control: Apply a 2-3 inch layer of mulch to prevent the seeds from germinating. Maintaining turf density and health will also help crowd out Oxalis.
- Chemical control: Preemergence herbicides like dithiopyr, prodiamine, and pendimethalin offer the best control. Postemergence herbicides like glyphosate, dicamba, MCPP, and triclopyr may offer varied results based on the level of infestation.
3. Alsike Clover (Trifolium hybridum)
- Local Name: Alsike clover
- Family: Fabaceae
- Annual or Perennial: Perennial
Alsike clover is a perennial plant belonging to the bean family that grows about 10-15 cm tall. It is a common weed of pastures, meadows, roadsides, and abandoned fields.
Alsike clover resembles the Trifolium repens because of its trifoliate leaves and whitish-pink flowers. Similarly, it is also a highly nutritive forage for livestock. However, the Alsike clover is a semi-erect plant and its leaflets are not mottled.
It is native to:
- Europe
- Asia
Removal Methods
- Mechanical control: Regular mowing can help eradicate large weed infestations.
- Cultural control: Rotational grazing and reseeding the turf will discourage Alsike growth.
- Chemical control: Alsike clover is tolerant to several herbicides. However, glyphosate may provide effective control if applied on actively growing foliage.
4. Strawberry Clover (Trifolium fragiferum)
- Local Name: Strawberry clover
- Family: Fabaceae
- Annual or Perennial: Perennial
Strawberry clover is a perennial herb 10-30 cm tall. Like white clover, it is cultivated for pasture, silage, and manure and also as a cover crop.
Apart from their similarities in usage, the strawberry leaves are trifoliate similar to clover. However, the Trifolium fragiferum leaves can be glabrous or sparsely hairy and have distinctive veins from the midrib to the edges of the leaflets.
It is native to:
- Asia
- North Africa
- Europe
Removal Methods
- Mechanical control: Hand-pulling or digging out individual plants can help eradicate small infestations.
- Chemical control: Repeated applications of glyphosate, dicamba, fluroxypyr, or quinclorac will effectively control larger infestations.
5. Hop Trefoil (Trifolium campestre)
- Local Name: Low hop clover, Plains clover, and field clover
- Family: Fabaceae
- Annual or Perennial: Annual
Hop trefoil is an annual herb 10-30 cm tall. It thrives in dry sandy soils and can be found in crop fields, grasslands, roadsides, and wastelands.
This weed features light green, trifoliate, hairy leaves, closely mimicking clover in appearance.
It is native to:
- Europe
Removal Methods
- Mechanical control: Hand-pulling and mowing before the seed set can limit its growth.
- Cultural control: Maintaining a dense and vigorous turf and avoiding overgrazing in pastures will help reduce its spread.
- Chemical control: Apply preemergence herbicides like pendimethalin and dithiopyr. Postemergence products containing glyphosate, 2,4-D, and dicamba can be effective if applied during the active growth phase.
Lead Editor for Insight Weeds.