VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Trifolium repens | White Clover 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
White clover is an excellent forage plant for livestock and wildlife
[15,20].  The leaves and flowers are grazed by grizzly bear, moose,
mule, white-tailed deer, and blue grouse [2,18,21,26].  It comprises
nearly 6 percent of the annual forage of the white-footed vole [37].
The seeds are eaten by the northern bobwhite, bufflehead, American coot,
sage grouse, ruffed grouse, sharp-tailed grouse, horned lark, mallard,
gray partridge, greater prairie chicken, willow ptarmigan, American
pintail, California quail, and American robin [13].


PALATABILITY : 
Palatability ratings for white clover are as follows [7]:

             UT      CO      WY      MT      ND
cattle      good    good    good    good    good
sheep       good    good    good    good    good
horses      good    good    fair    good    good


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
White clover is highly nutritious to cattle [15].  The leaves are
high-quality feed, and, on a dry-weight basis are high in protein and
carbohydrates [6,11].



COVER VALUE : 
The cover value for white clover has been rated as follows [7]:

                            UT      WY     MT     ND
elk                        poor    poor   ----   ----
mule deer                  poor    poor   ----   ----
white-tailed deer          ----    poor   ----   ----
pronghorn                  poor    ----   ----   ----
upland game birds          poor    ----   ----   ----
waterfowl                  poor    ----   good   good
small nongame birds        poor    ----   ----   ----
small mammals              poor    ----   ----   ----


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
White clover is a common component of reclamation mixes in Canada and
the United States [15].  It is commonly used for corridor reclamation on
seismic lines and pipeline rights-of-way in Alberta.  It has been
successfully used to revegetate acid coal mine wastes in New Brunswick.
White clover had good performance when seeded on disturbed sites above
5,500 feet (1,650 m) in southeastern British Columbia but gave poor
results when seeded on some alpine sites in Colorado.  At other alpine
locations in Colorado, white clover was difficult to establish but
performed well on moist sites at 11,760 feet (3,530 m) elevation [39].
White clover is used on minespoils in the eastern United States to
provide plant diversity, especially in food patches or openings planted
for wildlife [36].

Because white clover is a nitrogen-fixing plant, it is often included in
grass mixtures or grass-forb mixtures [5,16].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
White clover is used extensively by bees to produce honey [33].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
White clover is normally used to provide a source of nitrogen for a sown
companion grass such as smooth brome (Bromus inermis), timothy (Phleum
pratense), or orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata) while itself yielding
herbage rich in protein [1].  In southeastern United States rangelands,
grass forages grown with white clover average as high as or higher than
monospecific grass forage fertilized at nitrogen rates up to 300
pounds/acre (336 kg/ha).  The inclusion of white clover also increases
the calcium concentration of the forage compared to grass alone.
Including a legume such as white clover in a forage mixture probably
offers more opportunity to increase forage nutritional yield than any
other practice generally available [28,38].  

Spring mowing may decrease grass vigor and enhance growth of white
clover.  Where midsummer mowing increases grass vigor, white clover
declines due to increased competition [1].

Related categories for Species: Trifolium repens | White Clover