Trifolium dubium
Encyclopedia
Trifolium dubium, the Lesser Hop Trefoil or suckling clover is a plant in the family Fabaceae
. This species is generally accepted as the primary plant to represent the traditional Irish
Shamrock
.
It is native to Europe, but can be found in many parts of the world as an introduced species
.
It is probably an allotetraploid
that arose from the crossing of Trifolium campestre and T. micranthum.
Fabaceae
The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and economically important family of flowering plants. The group is the third largest land plant family, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400 species...
. This species is generally accepted as the primary plant to represent the traditional Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
Shamrock
Shamrock
The shamrock is a three-leafed old white clover. It is known as a symbol of Ireland. The name shamrock is derived from Irish , which is the diminutive version of the Irish word for clover ....
.
It is native to Europe, but can be found in many parts of the world as an introduced species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
.
It is probably an allotetraploid
Polyploidy
Polyploid is a term used to describe cells and organisms containing more than two paired sets of chromosomes. Most eukaryotic species are diploid, meaning they have two sets of chromosomes — one set inherited from each parent. However polyploidy is found in some organisms and is especially common...
that arose from the crossing of Trifolium campestre and T. micranthum.