Quercus

Crimson Clover

Trifolium incarnatum

Not native to Kentucky

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Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

110CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including KY

Genus host records with ranges including KY · Trifolium

  • Abaeis nicippeSleepy Orange, Sleepy Yellow, Erratic Orange
  • Achyra rantalisGarden Webworm Moth
  • Acrolophus arcanellaGrass Tubeworm Moth
  • Acrolophus moraDark Grass-Tubeworm
  • Acrolophus plumifrontellaEastern Grass Tubeworm
  • Acrolophus popeanellaClemen's Grass Tubeworm
  • Acronicta oblinitaSmeared Dagger
  • Agnorisma badinodisPale-Banded Dart
  • Agrotis gladiariaSwordsman Dart, Clay-Backed Cut-Worm
  • Agrotis ipsilonIpsilon Dart, Black Cutworm, Greasy Cutworm
Show all 110
  • Agrotis malefidaRascal Dart, Pale-Sided Cut-Worm, Shagreened Cut-Worm
  • Agrotis venerabilisVenerable Dart, Dusky Cut-Worm
  • Anagrapha falciferaCelery Looper Moth
  • Anarta trifoliiThe Nutmeg, Clover Cutworm
  • Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
  • Ancylis metamelanaBlack-Marked Ancylis, ?Clover Leaf Tier
  • Anicla infectaGreen Cutworm Moth
  • Anticarsia gemmatalisVelvetbean Caterpillar Moth
  • Apantesis naisNais Tiger Moth
  • Apantesis phalerataHarnessed Moth
  • Apantesis phylliraPhyllira Tiger Moth
  • Aristotelia roseosuffusellaPink-Washed Aristotelia
  • Autographa precationisCommon Looper Moth
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Bleptina caradrinalisBent-Winged Owlet, Variable Snout
  • Caenurgina crassiusculaForage Looper Moth, Clover Looper, Range Grass Moth
  • Caenurgina erechteaClover Looper Moth, Common Grass Moth, Forage Looper
  • Cecropterus bathyllusSouthern Cloudywing
  • Cecropterus pyladesNorthern Cloudywing
  • Celypha nr.Celypha Moth
  • Choephora fungorumBent-Line Dart
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Clepsis persicanaWhite Triangle Tortrix
  • Coelostathma discopunctanaThe Batman Moth
  • Colias eurythemeOrange Sulphur, Alfalfa Butterfly
  • Colias philodiceClouded Sulphur, Clover Butterfly
  • Cupido comyntasEastern Tailed-Blue
  • Dargida diffusaWheat Head Armywotm Moth
  • Dasylophia anguinaBlack-Spotted Prominent
  • Ectropis crepusculariaThe Small Engrailed, Saddleback Looper
  • Elaphria grataGrateful Midget
  • Erastria colorariaBroad-Lined Erastria
  • Estigmene acreaSalt Marsh Moth, Acrea Moth
  • Euclidia cuspideaToothed Somberwing
  • Eusarca confusariaConfused Eusarca
  • Euxoa messoriaReaper Dart, Darksided Cutworm, Dark-Sided Cutworm
  • Euxoa tessellataTessellate Dart, Striped Cutworm
  • Feltia jaculiferaDingy Cutworm
  • Feltia manifestaAdobe Dart, Obvious
  • Feltia subgothicaSubgothic Dart
  • Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
  • Grapholita interstinctanaClover Seed Caterpillar
  • Haematopis gratariaChickweed Geometer
  • Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
  • Hemeroplanis scopulepesVariable Tropic
  • Herpetogramma pertextalisBold-Feathered Grass Moth
  • Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Hyppa xylinoidesCommon Hyppa
  • Idaea furciferataNotch-Winged Wave
  • Idaea obfusariaRippled Wave
  • Iridopsis humariaSmall Purplish Gray
  • Iridopsis larvariaBent-Line Gray
  • Lacinipolia explicataExplicit Groundcat, Explicit Arches
  • Lacinipolia loreaBridled Arches, Bridle Groundcat
  • Lacinipolia meditataThe Thinker
  • Lacinipolia olivaceaOlive Arches, Olive Groundcat
  • Lacinipolia renigeraBristly Ground Cat, Bristly Cutworm Moth, Kidney Spotted "Mamestra"
  • Lobocleta ossulariaDrab Brown Wave
  • Macrochilo litophoraAngulate Fan-Foot, Brown-Lined Owlet
  • Megalographa bilobaBilobed Looper Moth
  • Melanchra adjunctaHitched Arches
  • Melanchra pictaPainted Arches, Zebra Caterpillar Moth
  • Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
  • Nephelodes miniansBronzed Cutworm
  • Nomophila nearcticaLucerne Moth, American Celery Webworm
  • Ochropleura implectaAmerican Flame-Shouldered Dart
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Pandemis limitataThree-Lined Leafroller Moth
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Phalaenostola larentioidesBlack-Banded Owlet, Black-Banded Phalaenostola
  • Phoebis sennaeCloudless Sulphur
  • Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
  • Platynota idaeusalisTufted Apple-Bud Moth
  • Protolampra brunneicollisBrown-Collared Dart
  • Pyrisitia lisaLittle Yellow, Little Sulphur, Lisa Yellow
  • Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
  • Rachiplusia ouGray Looper
  • Renia factiosalisSociable Renia, Undulate Renia, Dark-Banded Renia
  • Scopula inductataSoft-Lined Wave
  • Scopula limboundataLarge Lace-Border
  • Spaelotis clandestinaClandestine Dart, W-Marked Cutworm
  • Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
  • Sparganothis unifascianaOne-Lined Sparganothis
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Spodoptera dolichosSweetpotato Armyworm, Dolichos Armyworm, Large Cotton Armyworm
  • Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Trichoplusia niNi Moth, Cabbage Looper Moth
  • Trichopolia oviducaRuddy Quaker
  • Trichordestra legitimaStriped Garden Caterpillar Moth
  • Udea rubigalisCelery Leaftier
  • Vanessa carduiPainted Lady, Cosmopolite
  • Xestia c-nigrumSpotted Cut-Worm, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Lesser Black-letter Dart
  • Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm
  • Zerene cesoniaSouthern Dogface
  • Aproaerema palpilineella
  • Xenotemna pallorana
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
2Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Trifolium

  • Calliopsis micheneri
  • Megachile melanophaea
Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
24BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Trifolium

  • Ammospiza leconteiiLeConte's Sparrow
  • Anser caerulescensSnow Goose
  • Anthus rubescensAmerican Pipit
  • Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
  • Branta canadensisCanada Goose
  • Calcarius pictusSmith's Longspur
  • Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
  • Centrocercus urophasianusGreater Sage-Grouse
  • Dendragapus obscurusDusky Grouse
  • Falcipennis canadensisSpruce Grouse
Show all 24
  • Junco hyemalisDark-eyed Junco
  • Lagopus lagopusWillow Ptarmigan
  • Lagopus leucuraWhite-tailed Ptarmigan
  • Mareca americanaAmerican Wigeon
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
  • Melozone crissalisCalifornia Towhee
  • Oreortyx pictusMountain Quail
  • Ortalis vetulaPlain Chachalaca
  • Perdix perdixGray Partridge
  • Pipilo maculatusSpotted Towhee
  • Plectrophenax nivalisSnow Bunting
  • Tympanuchus phasianellusSharp-tailed Grouse
  • Zonotrichia atricapillaGolden-crowned Sparrow
  • Zonotrichia leucophrysWhite-crowned Sparrow
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Fabaceae
Hardiness
Zones 4a–9b
Soil pH
Acidic to alkaline
Flower color
Red
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Single crown
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Spring
Fruit ends
Summer

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Crimson Clover; Tommy James and the Shondells Clover

Conservation status

Kentucky rankSNA
Global rankGNR
KY statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Sources