# bowl clover (*Trifolium cyathiferum*)

Bowl clover is a sweet little plant with round leaves that look like tiny bowls. It often grows in grassy areas and is loved by bees and butterflies for its pretty flowers.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Grasslands

![bowl clover](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Trifolium_cyathiferum.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Mary Winter, CC0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Trifolium_cyathiferum.jpg)

## Appearance

The bowl clover is a low-growing plant with distinctive, cup-shaped flower heads, usually creamy white to pale pink. Its small, trifoliate leaves are green, forming a dense mat. The bowl-like calyx enclosing the flowers is very noticeable.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Fabales
- **Family:** Fabaceae
- **Genus:** Trifolium

## Interesting facts

- Each tiny flower head is actually a cluster of many smaller flowers packed together!
- Finding a rare four-leaf clover is thought to bring good luck!
- Its scientific name, 'cyathiferum,' means 'cup-bearing' because of its unique flowers!
- Some people in history used clover leaves as a fresh, peppery snack!

## Special abilities

- **Soil Supercharger:** Bowl clover can pull nitrogen from the air and put it into the soil, making it super fertile for other plants.
- **Seed Spreader:** Its flower heads easily release seeds directly into the ground, helping new plants grow quickly without much help.
- **Cup Creator:** The unique bowl-shaped calyx of its flowers helps protect developing seeds and can even catch dew, aiding survival.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 2-10 cm
- **Spread:** 5-15 cm
- **Flower Size:** 0.5-1 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Spring to early summer
- **Edible:** Yes
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Annual
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** Honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Helps this clover make seeds.
- **Pollinates:** [Yellow-faced bumble bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/yellow-faced-bumble-bee) (*Bombus vosnesenskii*) — Carries pollen between flowers.
- **Eaten by:** [California vole](https://www.snappit.app/explore/california-vole) (*Microtus californicus*) — Feeds on its leaves and stems.
- **Symbiotic with:** Rhizobium bacterium (*Rhizobium trifolii*) — Helps clover enrich the soil.

## Traits

- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Nitrogen Fixing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/nitrogen-fixing): Describes organisms capable of converting atmospheric nitrogen into compounds usable by plants.
- [Cluster Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/cluster-flower): Cluster flowers are inflorescences where individual flowers are arranged closely together on a common stem.
- [Spring Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spring-blooming): Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth.
- [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.
- [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always check with an adult before touching or picking plants.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify bowl clover?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is bowl clover?

2-10 cm

### How wide does bowl clover spread?

5-15 cm

### How big are the flowers on bowl clover?

0.5-1 cm

### When does bowl clover bloom?

Spring to early summer

### Is bowl clover edible?

Yes

### Is bowl clover toxic?

None

### What is bowl clover's lifecycle?

Annual

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Bowl Clover: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/bowl-clover)