Is this Sulphur clover?

[Pablo]

Hi folks,

I'd just like to confirm with someone whether this might be Sulphur clover. Am I right? It was found last month in amongst brambles on waste ground. I'm from Essex/Suffolk border.






Cheers,

Pablo.

[Jez]

It's not one that i have ever come across! It's charming enough so i hope you get answers to your query.All the best jez

[Jez]

If you saw it in your area then why not try natural history museums postcode database site. Tap in your postcode and it will give an account of all recorded flora in your area if no WABsters can help.

[aeshna5]

Sulphur Clover does occur in your part of the world, but I don't think this is it! The leaves look like Red Clover which is very variable with all the agricultural strains. The flower looks odd, but again doesn't look right.

[Pablo]

Thanks for your thoughts. The pics and a sample has been sent to Essex Wildlife Trust. I'll let you know of the results.

Cheers,

Pablo.

[AlanS]

Sulphur Clover is a plant I am nostalgic about, so I have had a look at this, even though I am supposed to be somewhere on the M74 now.

Sadly it is not Sulphur Clover and is, as already suggested by Aeshna5, a colour variant of Red Clover.

A critical difference is in the length of the lowest calyx tooth - not to easy to make out in the photograph but we can see it is longer than the others but perhaps only half as long again. In Sulphur Clover it is around 2-3 times as long as the other teeth, reaching almost to the top of the corolla tube (the tubular part of the flower).

In my youth (more years ago than I am prepared to admit, but Neolithic Man was dealing quite well with the forest cover ...), there were those exciting times when we would go from home in suberbia up to north Essex to visit Granny-in-the-country. From Chelmsford northwards the road verges at the right time would be a solid pale yellow from Sulphur Clover. When we got near Granny-in-the-country, Sulphur Clover was a mass of colour on the local village green.

Then suddenly it wasn't. No Sulphur Clover anywhere. And I have never seen it again. The current Atlas shows that it is still in most 10km squares in the chalky boulder clay area of East Anglia and no doubt if I still lived in the area I would know sites for it, but it is known to be sensitive to grassland management practices and is now evidently a plant that survives only in 'good' places. Sigh.

Alan