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Hi Roland and All
The white clover used in lawns is Trifolium repens
other names might be Ladino or Dutch white. A number
of culitivars have been selected but it is difficult
to produce pure strain seed. It volunteers easily and
as mentioned seeds live a long time in the soil. There
is even a stand at Masons Cabin in Keji - probably
brought there in horse feed many years ago.
The taller white clover is Alsike Clover Trifolium
hybridum which grows in a lot of the Maritimes. It
came originally from Sweden and although listed as a
perennial acts as a biennial so little suited to
lawns. It is very suitable as a soil building legume
when used in rotation with potatoes. As with a number
of legumes care needs be taken when pasturing cattle
or sheep and prehaps deer on pure stands. It will
cause bloat but is a very valuable legume
nevertheless.
Have a good summer
Paul
--- Roland McCormick
<roland.mccormick@ns.sympatico.ca> wrote:
> When you talk about white clover I think of two
> kinds - one is a few inches
> high and seems to be a native plant, the other is
> two or three feet high,
> and I have only seen it in an area where someone has
> a bee hive. Which are
> we talking about here?
>
> Roland.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Wild Flora" <herself@wildflora.com>
> To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
> Sent: Sunday, June 24, 2007 1:12 PM
> Subject: RE: [NatureNS] bees and industrial white
> clover
>
>
> > Planting a white or "Dutch" clover lawn is
> probably one of the best things
> > you can do for honeybees. It is primarily
> pollinated by honeybees and is
> > probably the commercial crop most heavily used by
> honeybees worldwide, so
> > much so that "white clover honey" is a recognized
> type of honey, with
> > lighter colour and milder flavor than other
> honeys. (Whether it's the best
> > honey is a matter of taste--I prefer the darker
> honeys myself.)
> >
> > Just like honeybees, white clover isn't native to
> North America (it's from
> > Europe). Our native bees would probably prefer the
> plants they have
> > co-evolved with. That having been said, however,
> white clover has been in
> > North America for a long time and it appears that
> quite a lot of native
> > bees
> > and other wildlife have adapted to using it.
> Bumblebees and some other
> > native bees are quite fond of it, also bee flies,
> some butterflies, and
> > skippers. It's reported to be a larval food plant
> for the caterpillars of
> > several moths and butterflies including the
> clouded sulfur. (Judging from
> > the number of sulphurs I saw fluttering over my
> neighbour's pasture when
> > the
> > clover was blooming last summer, I'd say that must
> be true.) White clover
> > is
> > also eaten by ruffed Grouse, ring-necked pheasant,
> some songbirds, some
> > small mammals, and white-tailed deer. (Some
> strains contain a glycoside
> > that
> > can be poisonous if a grazing animal eats too
> much, but evidently they
> > have
> > to eat an awful lot before they experience any ill
> effects.)
> >
> > The only harm to bees that I'm aware of is when
> flowering clover attracts
> > them to an area where pesticides are going to be
> used. This is a
> > recognized
> > problem in nonorganic apple orchards, where white
> clover is often regarded
> > as a weed.
> >
> > The biggest concern about white clover from a
> gardener's point of view is
> > that it does tend to be spread quite aggressively
> both by seed and by
> > runners. The seed can persist for years in soil,
> so getting rid of it once
> > you've planted it is very difficult.
> >
> > One possible problem is that selection and
> breeding of white clover are
> > constantly producing new strains, particularly
> ones that are more
> > winter-hardy, and whenever a new cultivar is
> introduced there is always a
> > risk that some quality needed by pollinators will
> have been lost. However,
> > I'm not aware of any reports of cultivars of white
> clover that have lost
> > the
> > ability to support pollinators.
> >
> > In short, if you want a lawn, are fond of bees,
> and don't mind using
> > nonnative plants, white clover is probably an
> excellent choice.
> >
> > Wild Flora
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > No virus found in this incoming message.
> > Checked by AVG Free Edition.
> > Version: 7.5.472 / Virus Database: 269.9.6/865 -
> Release Date: 6/24/2007
> > 8:33 AM
> >
>
>
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