Trifolium occidentale Western Clover

An Oceanic, stoloniferous clover which grows in dry grasslands on sea cliifs, usually near rock outcrops that are sprayed with seawater. It was discovered new to the British Flora in 1957 and for a while was only known from Cornwall and the Channel Islands. It was found growing in cliff top grassland near Tears Point and Mewslade in Gower in 1987 by Miss J. Dunn and has since been discovered in other similar habitats between Rhossili and Oxwich. Western Clover is a very rare species in Britain with most of its locations in Cornwall and along the east coast of Ireland. It is easy to overlook and similar to White Clover (Trifolium repens) from which it differs in its earlier flowering time, less robust form, smaller and somehat thicker, unmarked leaflets and unscented flowers which have triangular-ovate sepal lobes (see photo showing comparison with Trifolium repens). It has been used in agricultural breeding programs to introduce genetic traits into White Clover to improve drought and salt tolerance.

Native