Sulphur clover - Trifolium ochroleucon

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Sulphur clover - Trifolium ochroleucon
© Dr Chris Gibson/English Nature

As its name suggests, this clover is distinguished by its showy, upright terminal heads of creamy-yellow flowers. It has a spreading rosette of grey-green leaves at the stem bases.

As the seeds ripen, the yellow flowerhead fades to brown. The sulphur clover used to be a characteristic plant of meadows and unimproved pastures in East Anglia but has been all but banished to road verges and railway banks. We could make up for this by planting it in informal garden meadows.

Several weevil species are associated with small clovers and long tongued bees are able to reach the nectar in the flowers. The leaves are eaten by general legume feeders including beetles. Wood mice may use the leaves of various species of clover in food stores.

Animals

Bees and wasps, Beetles, Weevils, Wood mouse

Foliage	Green
Flower	Yellow, June to July
Moisture	(Average)
Sunlight	(Full sun)
Origin	Native