Red clover (Trifolium pratense)
Tracheophyta: Angiosperm: Dicot: Legume (Fabaceae)
Non-native from Europe
Habitat: any full sun area.
ID Features: purple flowers, leaves of 3 leaflets.
Natural History: Red clover is a legume with palmately compound leaves (3 leaflets). The flowers are arranged in bunches and produces seeds in small pods. The plant is eaten by a variety of herbivores, including rabbits. It is very similar to white clover except that its leaves are larger, it grows taller, and has pink flowers. It is common in abandoned fields and meadows.
Missouri Wildflowers by Edgar Denison, 5th Edition, Missouri Department of Conservation, ©1998.