Science · Plants, Natives & Crops
Persian Clover
Persian clover produces palatable forage and can regrow well after grazing or cutting. Subspecies and cultivars differ in moisture adaptation, so irrigated, higher-rainfall, and dryland uses should not be treated as interchangeable.
Profile
- Growth habit
- Prostrate to semi-erect annual with hollow, basally branching stems.
- Flowers
- Pink-to-purple flowers with a characteristically inverted corolla.
- Soil pH
- Oregon State lists a tolerated range of approximately 5.5–9.
- Subspecies
- Majus is associated with wetter or irrigated systems; resupinatum includes dryland forage types.
- Nitrogen
- Fixes atmospheric nitrogen with compatible rhizobia.
Water & soil context
- Moisture (VWC)
- The cited publications do not provide numeric volumetric water content sensor targets.
- Salinity tolerance
- Oregon State describes tolerance of mild salinity but does not give a numeric threshold in the Persian clover profile.
- Drought tolerance
- Moisture adaptation differs by subspecies; dryland suitability does not establish a universal drought threshold.
Illustrative monitoring-depth band
3–8 in
Editorial placement example, not a validated optimum or total rooting depth. Confirm the site's root distribution and soil horizons; multiple depths may be needed.
Tolerates waterlogging. Oregon State associates resupinatum with areas above roughly 450 mm annual precipitation and majus with wetter or irrigated systems; these are adaptation descriptors, not irrigation schedules.
Problems to watch
- Can cause bloat in cattle.
- Pure stands can cause photosensitivity in sheep.
- Cold conditions can slow development despite some frost tolerance.
Stress signs
- The sources describe slow development at low temperatures but do not provide a reliable diagnostic list of visible stress symptoms.
Where you'll find it
- Forage
- Cover crop
- Green manure
More plants, natives & crops
Published botanical and soil references are distinct from GroundWorx product guidance. Moisture thresholds and monitoring depths require site calibration; sources do not establish product performance or diagnose stress.