Red Clover

Trifolium pratense L.
Red clover is an introduced, commonly grown, tap-rooted, short-lived perennial legume. It can thrive in cooler temperatures and more acidic soils than alfalfa. It has deep tap roots that develop from a shallow, narrow crown, though not as deep as alfalfa, therefore reducing its drought tolerance.
Each crown produces many branched, hairy stems, which grow to 75 cm (30 in.) in length. Leaves are made up of 3 hairy leaflets attached at one point and often have white water markings on the green leaflets. Red clover produces globe-shaped, purple, cross-pollinated flowers. Seed pods are about 3 mm (1/8 in.) long with 1 to 2 yellow to purple hard seeds per pod.