Talk:Trifolium pratense

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Here's a dissertation ref that might be handy here:

• Title: Red clover (Trifolium pratense) as a botanical dietary supplement
• Author: Booth, Nancy Lynn
• School: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO, HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER
• Publish Date: Oct 2005
• ISBN: 0-542-11124-1

Just if someone is interested. --DanielCD 16:43, 24 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Someone added this information, but since it refers to this as a grass, I'm thinking someone may be confusing it with something else. When I can verify (find a ref) that the info is indeed about this species, I'll replace it. Or perhaps the user who added it could clarify the "grass" references:

• Red Clover is a Perennial grass that acts as Biennial.
• Red clover is a very valuable grass in the sward. It is very productive and also very palatable.
• It is reasonably tolerant of frost and can also survive droughts.
• Red Clover is an excellent pasture renovation crop.
• It can also be used as a short-term hay crop.
• Survives best in soils with a PH between 6.2-6.8-— Preceding unsigned comment added by DanielCD (talk • contribs) 01:03, 1 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

How's that?

Red Clover being a two-year crop, it hardly qualifies as a "short term hay crop". You broadcast the seed after harvesting soft wheat; that's roughly June or July. The above-ground portion dies when it freezes, but the roots awaken in spring, and you have a nice hay harvest in July or August.

If you want a short hay crop, you could always plant rye or oats, and have a same-year harvest. (Oat hay is better for pet rabbits than any other feed; rabbit chow is economic for rabbit meat, but not for maximum longevity.) Rye is notorious for producing a lot of green matter in little time.

Cattle farmers usually grow alfalfa, possibly because they chew their cud and can thus digest the stems. For horses, clover hay is much preferred, reportedly because it is calming.

If you pull the stamen out of the head, and bite them in half, the sweetness will indicate whether the crop is ready to make hay.

Why is this article called "trifolium pratense" and not "red clover"? The articles on tomatoes and tulips are mot entitled "Solanum lycopersicum" and "Liliaceae". Actually, it'd make sense to have white clover and sweet clover included and call the article "Clover". 98.222.232.73 (talk)

A new study is finding that Trifolium pratense may have a chemical in it that results in a drastic reduction in AIDS symptoms, and assists in cases of SARS.

I'll probably include this in the article in a day or two if no one objects. 137.122.201.199 17:12, 5 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yea that's great, just be sure to include a reference for it. --DanielCD 17:51, 5 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I suggest we wait until there are a number of citations from reputable sources, preferably until the study has been reproduced independently. A drastic reduction in aids symptoms sounds extraordinary, the evidence better be extraordinarily good. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.130.65.175 (talk) 02:22, 26 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

A single Italicized name always denotes a whole genus, a binomial always denotes a species, and a trinomial ALWAYS denotes a variety within a species. We don't need "var." in the middle of a trinomial. It's redundant. -The Mysterious El Willstro 209.183.188.169 (talk) 06:10, 8 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Please include citations for safety and efficacy. It is endocrinologically improbably that taking an estrogenic subtance would improve fertility, which would be like expecting oral contraceptives to do so, Pustelnik (talk) 16:33, 22 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

In hay fields with low areas subject to spring time flooding, red clover does an excellent job of creating sod for harvestable surface with machinery. It also matures later than preferred hay crops. giving a temporary staging area for harvest. Grows in thick to prevent weed intrusion and creates a high moister, high protein forage for livestock, as well as wildlife. Be careful when harvesting for livestock. Red clover does not dry well for stored hay bales. It will heat and rot. Also feed mildly to cattle as it is very rich. J. Steidl Minnesota — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.197.192.249 (talk) 05:07, 20 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

I have removed the claim that there is evidence red clover use may lead to infertility. The cited article only makes one reference to infertility, and that's in reference to sheep (!) eating a different species of clover (Trifolium subterraneum). 94.1.214.124 (talk) 10:08, 19 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Hi, I'm an undergraduate at Washington University in St. Louis. I added a section on Distribution to discuss the role of red clover in South America and its connection to Bombus ruderatus. I am doing this as part of a class assignment. Callisons (talk) 21:03, 5 November 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The medical uses section needs an overhaul, giving preference to secondary source references (reviews, systemic reviews and meta-analyses) over in vitro and animal work, individual human trials, or medical websites such as WebMD or Univ Maryland Med. David notMD (talk) 11:46, 28 March 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Greetings fellow Wikipedians. I am an undergraduate student at Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. I recently added a paragraph regarding the uses of Trifolium pratense for hunters and environmental remediation strategies. My paragraph was rooted in a policy proposal suggesting the attraction such plants offer for population ecology and conservation strategies at it pertain to wildlife crossing efficacy. Specifically, with respect to deer, rabbits, and other animals, this species may be implemented by hunters to attract game, as well as by ecologists in order to redirect animals away from roadways and toward wildlife crossings. I incorporated a few citations as well. I hope you all find my contribution important and insightful, and ultimately, I am hopeful for the inspiration such knowledge will evoke.-— Preceding unsigned comment added by Sevyyev (talk • contribs) 18:26, 23 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]