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Plant · P-085
Subterranean Clover
Trifolium subterraneum
Subterranean Clover ssp. brachycalycinum is a Mediterranean winter-annual forage and nitrogen fixer bred for alkaline cracking clay, fixing 100-200 lb N per acre in east Texas trials and running 16-30 percent crude protein for cattle, sheep, horses and poultry. After flowering it buries its own seed head in the ground (geocarpy), letting stock graze the stand to the dirt without destroying next year's growth - the one clover here that survives hard grazing by design. Older cultivars carry formononetin, which causes infertility in ewes with prolonged exposure, so a low-formononetin seed tag matters wherever sheep are or may be grazed.
Record at a glance
Growing profile
- Sun
- Full Sun
- USDA zone
- USDA 7
- Soil
- Sand · Loam · Clay
- Moisture
- Dry · Well-Drained · Moderate
Vertical layer
Groundcover- Soil pH
- 5.5–8
- Plant type
- Annual
- Mature height
- 5–9 in
- Mature spread
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