Clover: Trifolium sp

Other Names: Shamrock, common Clover

As a kid, I used to walk into a field of three-leaved clovers and hunt around for the chance to see a four-leaved clover. The four-leaved clovers do exist of course, but I never found them as a kid. Being a pea, these clovers are legumes and thus, wherever they grow they add nitrogen to the soil. Maybe these ‘weeds’ aren’t so bad after all when they take over a nice grassy field.

Medicinal Uses: A tea made from the species can be used to wash the skin of certain kinds of ailments. You can also boil the blossoms in lard to use as a salve for burns and skin ailments.

Food uses: The clover can be added to salads for the greens, or eaten raw as a pot-herb. Caution should be taken however, when consuming clover, because it has been reported that livestock can suffer bloat and skin sensitivity when eating too much of this plant.