  trifolium repens, the white clover (also known as dutch clover), is a species of clover native to europe, north africa, and west asia. it has been widely introduced worldwide as a pasture crop, and is now also common in most grassy areas of north america and new zealand. ==name== the genus name, trifolium, derives from the latin , "three", and , "leaf", so called from the characteristic form of the leaf, which has three leaflets (trifoliate); hence the popular name "trefoil". the species name, , is latin for "creeping". ==growth== it is a herbaceous, perennial plant. it is low growing, with heads of whitish flowers, often with a tinge of pink or cream that may come on with the aging of the plant. the heads are generally  wide, and are at the end of 7-cm (2.8-in) peduncles or flower stalks.richard h. uva, joseph c. neal and joseph m. ditomaso, weeds of the northeast, (ithaca, ny: cornell university press, 1997), pp. 236-237. the leaves, which by themselves form the symbol known as shamrock, are trifoliolate, smooth, elliptic to egg-shaped and long-petioled. the stems function as stolons, so white clover often forms mats, with the stems creeping as much as  a year, and rooting at the nodes. == cultivation and uses== === companion planting === white clover grows among turfgrass, crops, and in a large number of other landscapes. it is also found in a limited range of different field type environments. white clover can tolerate close mowing, and can grow on many different types and phs of soil, but prefers clay. it is considered to be a beneficial component of natural or organic lawn care due to its ability to fix nitrogen and out-compete lawn weeds. natural nitrogen fixing reduces leaching from the soil and can reduce the incidence of some lawn diseases that are enhanced by the availability of synthetic fertilizer.the organic lawn care manual, tukey, storey publishing. p 183. === culinary uses ===  besides making an excellent forage crop for livestock, clovers are a valuable survival food: they are high in proteins, widespread, and abundant. the fresh plants have been used for centuries as a
Flora_of_Estonia Flora_of_Lebanon Flora_of_North_Africa Flora_of_Norway Flora_of_the_United_Kingdom Forages Garden_plants_of_Europe Groundcovers Honey_plants Medicinal_plants_of_Africa Medicinal_plants_of_Europe Nitrogen-fixing_crops Plants_described_in_1753 Plants_used_in_traditional_Native_American_medicine Trifolium