The silhouette of a figure lies in the grass. It can be from a woman, it can be from a man. The bee that flies quickly across the meadow doesn’t care because it only has one goal. In this green carpet in the middle of the large city park he discovered a beautiful colony of white clover (Trifolium repens) inflorescences. He knows that plenty of pollen and sweet nectar await him there.
White clover is to grass what clouds are to the sky. It’s an old club. An ancient pact that arose between two great botanical families, each composed of thousands of species: the noble and useful grasses (Poaceae) and the aristocratic and nutritious legumes (Fabaceae). In an admirable tandem, everyone brings their best to the floor. On the one hand, grasses open the ground, pierce it, break it up with their hairs of searching roots, tireless wanderers in the land. On the other hand, legumes – once they die – contribute their wealth to the soil because their roots are symbiotically linked to bacteria. This means that nodules of bacteria grow in their own roots: two different kingdoms that coexist in harmony, just as occurs in the digestive systems of many animals and their particular intestinal flora.
More information
White clover is associated with rhizobial bacteria (Rhizobium leguminosarum symbiovar. trifolii). What benefit do these bacteria bring to clover? Well, nothing more and nothing less than the miracle of nitrogen. It is known that plants require enormous amounts of this element to form leaves and stems, grow and develop in all parts. Plants find this macroelement in the soil, but there is a particularly nitrogen-rich place that is beyond the reach of their roots. It’s the same air. The air we breathe is almost 80% nitrogen in gaseous form. “Oh, if I could take it straight from there, how much it could grow!” says every plant to itself. Well, for legumes this is a solved problem, thanks to the aforementioned symbiotic association with bacteria. The latter are able to absorb this atmospheric nitrogen and kindly release it to the plants through their roots, where the bacteria form their colonies. In return, the plants provide the bacteria with rich nutrition and offer them protection. All parties win. Also humans, because this allows us to grow legumes in less fertile places. In these wastelands, bacteria are already responsible for making plants grow beautifully. By the way, these bacterial colonies are visible to the naked eye when you look at the roots of these legumes. White clover has tiny nodules in its fine roots.
The distinctive trifoliate leaves of white clover are decorated with clearly visible spots.Aleksandr Zubkov (Getty Images)
Let’s get back to the bee. It is about to land on one of the white clover heads. It is such a lush plant that it can bloom almost every month, which is a relief for many of these small urban fauna whose trusted supermarket is white clover. This plant of European and Asian origin has spread throughout the world and is easy to find wherever there is a meadow or lawn, from Canada to Australia. One of the reasons for this colonization success was that it was useful not only as a natural fertilizer for the land, but also as a forage crop. To achieve the latter, the soil is plowed when the clover has reached its optimal size. When it dies crushed, all the nitrogen that remained in the bodies of plants and bacteria is released into the soil.
White clover provides nectar and pollen to a variety of garden insects. Daniela Duncan (Getty Images)
For lovers of pristine lawns where only linear leaves of grass grow, the plain appearance of a clover bush is a symptom of a poor harvest. But there is another camp, namely that of people who enjoy meadows and who enjoy eating the same grasses mixed with dandelions (Taraxacum officinale), parsnips (Bellis perennis), speedwell (Veronica persica) or plantain (Plantago major). to see. The beauty of clovers fascinates us even as children when we see their small, trifoliate leaves emerge with their characteristic white spots. This white color is not due to a special pigment, but rather to an air-filled space between the leaf tissues. It goes without saying that the joy is greatest when one of these four-leafed leaves is found, and it is usually associated with luck since they are so unexpected and rare. Only one in 5,000 leaves has these four bold leaflets, so you’ll need to keep your eyes sharp. It is happy lawns that have this beautiful and useful species that enlivens and enriches the garden with its small pollinating animals. Why not place a clover in a pot on the balcony, at the foot of another plant that is currently growing?
Subscribe to continue reading
Read without limits