Trifolium carolinianum, or Carolina Clover is a native wildflower that is typically found growing in lawns, along roadsides, in cemeteries and in thin, sandy pine or scrub oak woods. Tiny white/purplish flowers are held above the foliage. They are said to be papilionaceous, resembling a butterfly. It is often confused with White Clover. Although a native of coastal North Carolina, it has not been spotted for an extended period of time. The closest location where it can be seen growing is in South Carolina, near the North Carolina border. Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems: This wildflower self-sows. It can be controlled by deadheading.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Sand
Soil drainage
Occasionally Dry | Occasionally Wet
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
5 - Groundcover
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping
Texture
Medium
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Obovate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
The veined, green leaves are tiny, only 1/4" long and 1/5" wide. The outer half of the leaf is serrated.
Flower color
Purple/Lavender; White
Flower form
Head
Flower shape
Irregular
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
White flowers with a purplish tint sit above the foliage.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit type
Legume
Fruit detail
The fruit is a legume that is enclosed by the calyx tube. It will appear soon after the flowers are no longer blooming.
Stem color
Green; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
The stems can range from 3-11 inches. They are very slender and wiry.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Central and southeastern U.S.A.
Distribution
AL, AR, DE, FL, GA, KS, LA, MO, MS, NC, OK, PA, SC, TX, VA, VT
Wildlife value
This plant supports Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice) larvae which appear from May to October in the North and from March to November in the South. There are 3 flights in the North and 4 to 5 flights in the South. Adult Clouded Sulfur butterflies feed on flower nectar from many different plants. This plant also supports Eastern Tailed-Blue (Everes comyntas) which has many broods from February-November, Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme), Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus), and Northern Cloudywing (Thorybes pylades) larvae which broods a little earlier than May-July.