I planted 5 balls of 4 leaf clovers last week to wish myself good luck for the exams. There are already 10 beautiful 4 leaf clovers coming out. The question is how and whether I can pick them to dry. Will there be new clovers or do I have to plant new ones?
Answer
Dear, first answer the question what is a four-leaf clover? Actually, a four-leaf clover is a leaf of the white clover (Trifolium repens) that has 4 leaflets instead of the usual 3 leaf segments due to an intergrowth. It is rather exceptional and you have to be lucky to find one in a lawn full of clovers. That is why it is seen as a good luck symbol. For people who don’t have the patience to scan an entire field of white clover, there are fake four-leaf clovers on the market. You don’t have to be lucky for this because all the leaves of this plant consist of 4 leaf segments. The most popular is the wood sorrel (Oxalis) of which different types and varieties are sold. Some are all green, or all purple or something in between. These plants are not at all related to the clover and can be recognized by the heart-shaped leaflets, the root nodules and the typical sleeping position that the leaves adopt at night. Another fake four-leaf clover is the marsh fern Marsilea quadrifolia, but that is less easy to grow.
There is no harm in picking leaves from a plant. As long as there are enough left to do photosynthesis.
Answered by
Koen Es
Botany
New Avenue 38 1860 Meise
http://www.plantentuinmeise.be
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