Carolina Clover
Trifolium carolinianum
Found in open woodlands, woodland edges, pine savannas, thin soils around rock outcrops, old fields, disturbed areas. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you
95
Keystone
Native to Mississippi. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 94%
- Height
- Up to about 1 foot
- Light
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil moisture
- Somewhat dry to moist
Rare or protected plant. Specialist conservation planting; excluded from routine garden suggestions. Plant caution source
Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Annual or perennial
- Bloom
- April to July
JFMAMJJASOND
Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves
Recorded in 15 Mississippi counties.
Natural habitats
Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
1 of 5
Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.
Open, fire-kept longleaf pine stands over grasses and wildflowers on wet to moist sandy soil.
Cliffs, ledges and rocky summits
Cliffs, ledges, rock outcrops, talus and rocky summits where the source does not name the rock. A named rock files the place under its own glade or outcrop type instead.
Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground
Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.
Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
98CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including MS
Genus host records with ranges including MS · 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 98
- Agrotis malefidaRascal Dart, Pale-Sided Cut-Worm, Shagreened Cut-Worm
- Agrotis venerabilisVenerable Dart, Dusky Cut-Worm
- Anagrapha falciferaCelery Looper Moth
- Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
- 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
- Choephora fungorumBent-Line Dart
- Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
- 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
- Eurema dairaBarred Yellow, Barred Sulphur
- Eusarca confusariaConfused Eusarca
- Feltia jaculiferaDingy Cutworm
- Feltia manifestaAdobe Dart, Obvious
- Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
- Haematopis gratariaChickweed Geometer
- Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
- Hemeroplanis scopulepesVariable Tropic
- Herpetogramma pertextalisBold-Feathered Grass Moth
- Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
- Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
- Idaea furciferataNotch-Winged Wave
- Idaea obfusariaRippled Wave
- Idaea tacturataDot-Lined Wave
- Iridopsis humariaSmall Purplish Gray
- Iridopsis larvariaBent-Line Gray
- Lacinipolia explicataExplicit Groundcat, Explicit Arches
- Lacinipolia meditataThe Thinker
- 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
- Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
- Nephelodes miniansBronzed Cutworm
- Nomophila nearcticaLucerne Moth, American Celery Webworm
- 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
- Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
- 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
- Schinia jaguarinaJaguar Flower Moth
- Scopula aemulataRival Wave
- Scopula inductataSoft-Lined Wave
- Scopula limboundataLarge Lace-Border
- Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
- 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
- Udea rubigalisCelery Leaftier
- Vanessa carduiPainted Lady, Cosmopolite
- Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm
- Zeiraphera claypoleanaBuckeye Petiole Borer
- Zerene cesoniaSouthern Dogface
- Aproaerema palpilineella
- Xenotemna pallorana
36BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Trifolium
Individual names are not available yet.
Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
2Specialist beesPollen specialists
Pollen specialists · Trifolium
- Calliopsis micheneri
- Megachile melanophaea
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
Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 7a–11b
- Flower color
- Purple or white
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “April to July” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- Flower color · “Purple or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
- Hardiness · “Zones 7a–11b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “Up to about 1 foot” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Life cycle · “Annual or perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil · “Occasionally dry; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Conservation status
| Mississippi rank | S1 |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| MS status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
In your garden
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Choose a county to begin.
Sources
- NatureServe Explorer
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025)
- Mississippi occurrence source
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- 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
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications