Create Your Garden

Native Plant Alternatives to Trifolium pratense (Red Clover)

Native Plants, Invasive Plants, Trifolium pratense, Red Clover, Bee Bread, Broad-Leaved Clover, Clover Grass, Common Clover, Cow Grass, Marl Grass, Pinkies, Purplewort, Suckles, Sugar Plum

Trifolium pratense, or red clover, is a species of clover native to Europe, Western Asia, and northwest Africa. It has been introduced to many parts of the world, including North America, as a forage crop for livestock.

Red clover can naturalize and spread in certain situations. Its ability to fix nitrogen can improve soil fertility, and it’s often used as a cover crop or green manure. However, like any plant, it can potentially become weedy or invasive in some regions or habitats, particularly in areas of disturbed soil.

Red Clover is listed in the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States.

According to the U.S Forest Service, Invasive species have contributed to the decline of 42% of U.S. endangered and threatened species and 18% of U.S. endangered or threatened species. Invasive species compete directly with native species for moisture, sunlight, nutrients, and space. They displace and alter native plant communities, degrade wildlife habitat and water quality, and potentially lead to increased soil erosion.

The federal government has estimated that nearly 25 percent of the 20,000 plant species native to North America are at risk of extinction, many of these through habitat loss. You can help reverse this trend by planting great native plants in your garden.

A plant is considered native if it occurs naturally in a particular region or ecosystem without human introduction. There are many benefits to growing native plants. First, these plants are better adapted to soils, moisture, and weather than exotic plants that evolved in other parts of the world. They need fewer fertilizers and pesticides or use less water. Second, they are unlikely to escape and become invasive, destroying natural habitats. Third, they support wildlife, providing shelter and food for native birds and insects, while exotic plants do not.

Guide Information

Hardiness 5 - 9
Plant Type Perennials
Exposure Full Sun
Season of Interest Spring (Late)
Summer (Early, Mid, Late)
Fall
Native Plants United States

U.S. Native Plant Alternatives to Trifolium pratense (Red Clover)

Amorpha fruticosa (Indigo Bush)
Baptisia alba (White Wild Indigo)
Baptisia australis (False Indigo)
Baptisia australis var. minor (False Indigo)
Baptisia sphaerocarpa (Yellow Wild Indigo)
Dalea purpurea (Purple Prairie Clover)
Desmodium canadense (Showy Tick Trefoil)
Chamaecrista fasciculata (Partridge Pea)
Lupinus perennis (Wild Lupine)
Thermopsis villosa (Carolina Lupine)
Apios americana (American Groundnut)

More on Gardenia

Native Plant Alternatives to Nandina domestica (Heavenly Bamboo)
Native Plant Alternatives to Lantana camara (Largeleaf Lantana)
Native Plant Alternatives to Hibiscus syriacus (Rose of Sharon)
Native Plant Alternatives to Rosa rugosa (Rugosa Rose)
Native Plant Alternatives to Euonymus fortunei (Wintercreeper)
Native Plant Alternatives to Buddleja davidii (Butterfly Bush)

Discover more beautiful native plants

Native Plants

Plant Finder

Guides with
United States
While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.

Guide Information

Hardiness 5 - 9
Plant Type Perennials
Exposure Full Sun
Season of Interest Spring (Late)
Summer (Early, Mid, Late)
Fall
Native Plants United States
Guides with
United States

Related Items

Please Login to Proceed

You Have Reached The Free Limit, Please Subscribe to Proceed

Subscribe to Gardenia

To create additional collections, you must be a paid member of Gardenia
  • Add as many plants as you wish
  • Create and save up to 25 garden collections
Become a Member

Plant Added Successfully

You have Reached Your Limit

To add more plants, you must be a paid member of our site Become a Member

Update Your Credit
Card Information

Cancel

Create a New Collection

Sign Up to Our Newsletter

    You have been subscribed successfully

    Join Gardenia.net

    Create a membership account to save your garden designs and to view them on any device.

    Becoming a contributing member of Gardenia is easy and can be done in just a few minutes. If you provide us with your name, email address and the payment of a modest $25 annual membership fee, you will become a full member, enabling you to design and save up to 25 of your garden design ideas.

    Join now and start creating your dream garden!

    Join Gardenia.net

    Create a membership account to save your garden designs and to view them on any device.

    Becoming a contributing member of Gardenia is easy and can be done in just a few minutes. If you provide us with your name, email address and the payment of a modest $25 annual membership fee, you will become a full member, enabling you to design and save up to 25 of your garden design ideas.

    Join now and start creating your dream garden!

    Find your Hardiness Zone

    Find your Heat Zone

    Find your Climate Zone