Pink Clover

reversed clover
Reversed Clover Trifolium resupinatum  Photo: Jo Parmenter

We found this pretty pink clover in a recently constructed balancing pond at Little Snoring, in North Norfolk.  The site has likely been sown with a ‘wildflower seed mix’ as other species present included cornfield annuals such as corncockle, the non-native Austrian chamomile and crimson clover.

Reversed clover is known as a ‘wool alien’, it gradually declined here with reduced wool imports but it looks like it is making a comeback as a contaminant of wildflower seed mixes, so something to look out for. The flower has a strangely squashed look to it, which is because each of the tiny pink pea-like flowers is upside down compared to those of the other clovers, so that the standard (usually the top part of the flower) is at the bottom and the keel (usually below) is above. 

Jo Parmenter
06.11.2021