Details Top

Internal ID UUID643fdf1f93544175019894
Scientific name Trifolium aureum
Authority Pollich
First published in Hist. Pl. Palat.2: 344 (1777)

Ethnobotanical Use Top

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General Uses Top

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Common products:
- Pasture forage and hay: Trifolium aureum is sown as a pasture legume for grazing livestock (cattle, sheep, horses) and cut for hay; its foliage is highly palatable and provides a source of protein.
- Cover‑crop/green‑manure seed: The species is used in arable rotations to improve soil fertility; seeds are sown after cereals or in fallow periods, and the standing crop is incorporated to add organic matter and fixed nitrogen.
- Seed mixtures for pollinator‑friendly plantings: The plant is included in seed mixes for meadow and wildlife plantings because it offers early‑season nectar and pollen for honeybees and native pollinators.

Industrial and craft applications:
- Soil nitrogen fixation: Symbiotic Rhizobium nodules on roots convert atmospheric N₂ into plant‑available forms, reducing reliance on synthetic nitrogen fertilizers in mixed cropping systems.
- Erosion control and soil stabilization: The dense, mat‑forming habit of Trifolium aureum helps bind soil on slopes and disturbed sites, limiting runoff and supporting site restoration.
- Restoration of semi‑natural grasslands: Because it is native to many temperate regions, the species is used in ecological restoration to re‑establish grassland structure and support biodiversity.
- Pollinator habitat provisioning: The early‑flowering heads produce abundant nectar, making the plant valuable in pollinator conservation programs and in apiary management.

Properties relevant to use:
- Symbiotic nitrogen fixation via Rhizobium leguminosarum, enabling a net addition of 30–70 kg N ha⁻¹ in a single growing season.
- High crude‑protein content in young foliage (approximately 15–20 % dry matter) combined with relatively low fiber, contributing to its palatability for grazing animals.
- Tolerance of moderately acidic to neutral soils and low fertility, allowing establishment on marginal land without extensive fertilization.
- Early flowering (June–July) that supplies nectar for early‑season pollinators, complementing later‑blooming species in mixed plantings.

Standards and regulation:
- Seeds sold for forage, cover‑crop, or restoration uses must meet national seed‑certification standards (e.g., OECD Seed Certification Scheme, U.S. Federal Seed Act) that specify purity, germination rate, and cultivar identity on the label.

Sustainability and sourcing:
- Cultivation as a legume reduces the carbon footprint of nitrogen inputs by substituting synthetic fertilizer with biologically fixed nitrogen, fitting low‑input and organic farming systems.
- The species is suitable for use in sustainable land‑management practices that aim to enhance soil health, support pollinator populations, and restore native grassland ecosystems.

Synonyms Top

Scientific name Authority First published in
Chrysaspis aurea Greene Pittonia3: 204 (1897)
Trifolium agrarium L. Sp. Pl.: 772 (1753)
Amarenus agrarius (L.) C.Presl Symb. Bot.1: 46 (1831)
Trifolium aureum var. achtarovii (Urum.) Kožuharov Fl. Nar. Republ. Bulgariya6: 353 (1976)
Trifolium aureum f. achtarovii (Urum.) Stoj., Stef. & Kitan. Fl. Bulg., ed. 4, 1: 602 (1967)
Trifolium aureum subsp. achtarovii Urum. Magyar Bot. Lapok1(12): 4 (1927)
Trifolium strepens Crantz Stirp. Austr. Fasc. , ed. 2: 411 (1769)
Trifolium campestre C.C.Gmel. Hortus Carlsruh. : 270 (1811)

Common names Top

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Language Common/alternative name
English golden clover
English hop clover
English large hop trefoil
English large hop clover
Spanish trébol del prado
Spanish trébol de prado
Arabic نفل ذهبي
Belarusian Канюшына шаматкая
Bulgarian златиста детелина
Czech jetel zlatý
Welsh meillionen hopysaidd fawr
Danish guldkløver
Danish humlekløver
German gold-klee
German goldklee
Estonian kuldristik
Persian شبدر نارنجی
Finnish kelta-apila
Upper Sorbian złoty dźećel
Icelandic gullsmári
Lithuanian dirvoninis dobilas
Latvian zeltainais āboliņš
myv Сыреждиця вараканьпал
myv Сыреждиця вараканьпря тикше
Norwegian Bokmål gullkløver
Dutch akkerklaver
Dutch koniczyna złocistożółta
Polish koniczyna złocistożółta
Russian Клевер золотистый
Russian Хмелёк
Slovak ďatelinka zlatožltá
Slovenian zlata detelja
Swedish jordhumle
Swedish humleklöver
Swedish gullklöver
Turkish altuni üçgül
Ukrainian конюшина золотиста
Chinese 金黄车轴草
Chinese 黄车轴草

Subspecies (abbr. subsp./ssp.) Top

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Varieties (abbr. var.) Top

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Subvarieties (abbr. subvar.) Top

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Forms (abbr. f.) Top

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Germination/Propagation Top

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No germination or propagation data was added yet.

Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top

Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
  • Asia-temperate
    • Caucasus
      • North Caucasus
      • Transcaucasus
    • China
      • China North-central
      • China Southeast
    • Eastern Asia
      • Japan
    • Russian Far East
      • Primorye
      • Sakhalin
    • Siberia
      • Altay
      • Irkutsk
      • Krasnoyarsk
      • West Siberia
    • Western Asia
      • Iran
      • Lebanon-Syria
      • Turkey
  • Europe
    • Eastern Europe
      • Baltic States
      • Belarus
      • Central European Russia
      • East European Russia
      • Krym
      • Northwest European Russia
      • South European Russia
      • Ukraine
    • Middle Europe
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Germany
      • Hungary
      • Netherlands
      • Poland
      • Switzerland
    • Northern Europe
      • Denmark
      • Finland
      • Great Britain
      • Norway
      • Sweden
    • Southeastern Europe
      • Albania
      • Bulgaria
      • Greece
      • Italy
      • Romania
      • Yugoslavia
    • Southwestern Europe
      • France
      • Spain
  • Northern America
    • Eastern Canada
      • Labrador
      • Newfoundland
    • North-central U.S.A.
      • Illinois
      • Minnesota
      • Wisconsin
    • Northeastern U.S.A.
      • New York
      • Vermont
    • Northwestern U.S.A.
      • Idaho
      • Oregon
      • Washington
    • Southeastern U.S.A.
      • Kentucky
      • Maryland
    • Southwestern U.S.A.
      • California
  • Southern America
    • Southern South America
      • Argentina South
      • Chile South

Links to other databases Top

Suggest others/fix!
Database ID/link to page
World Flora Online wfo-0000213947
Canadensys 5911
USDA Plants TRAU2
Tropicos 13004095
INPN 127233
KEW urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:522892-1
The Plant List ild-9009
Open Tree Of Life 689166
Observations.org 7566
NCBI Taxonomy 361561
NBN Atlas NBNSYS0000003251
Nature Serve 2.154826
IPNI 522892-1
iNaturalist 79409
GBIF 5359060
Freebase /m/075mvg
WisFlora 5267
EPPO TRFAU
EOL 704100
Elurikkus 7993
Calflora (Californian flora) 8053
USDA GRIN 101725
Wikipedia Trifolium_aureum

Genomes (via NCBI) Top

No reference genome is available on NCBI yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.

Scientific Literature Top

Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
Title Authors Publication Released IDs
Assembly and comparative analysis of the complete mitochondrial genome of Trigonella foenum-graecum L. He Y, Liu W, Wang J BMC Genomics 08-Dec-2023
PMCID:PMC10704837
doi:10.1186/s12864-023-09865-6
PMID:38066419
Complete chloroplast genome sequence of Lens ervoides and comparison to Lens culinaris Tayşi N, Kaymaz Y, Ateş D, Sari H, Toker C, Tanyolaç MB Sci Rep 05-Sep-2022
PMCID:PMC9445179
doi:10.1038/s41598-022-17877-7
PMID:36064865
Smaller species experience mild adversity under shading in an old‐field plant community Balfour KC, Greco DA, Gridzak R, Piggott G, Schamp BS, Aarssen LW Ecol Evol 22-Jun-2022
PMCID:PMC9217891
doi:10.1002/ece3.9006
PMID:35784027
Diverse in Local, Overlapping in Official Medical Botany: Critical Analysis of Medicinal Plant Records from the Historic Regions of Livonia and Courland in Northeast Europe, 1829–1895 Prakofjewa J, Anegg M, Kalle R, Simanova A, Prūse B, Pieroni A, Sõukand R Plants (Basel) 13-Apr-2022
PMCID:PMC9032843
doi:10.3390/plants11081065
PMID:35448792
Selection of Endophytic Strains for Enhanced Bacteria-Assisted Phytoremediation of Organic Pollutants Posing a Public Health Hazard Karaś MA, Wdowiak-Wróbel S, Sokołowski W Int J Mol Sci 03-Sep-2021
PMCID:PMC8431480
doi:10.3390/ijms22179557
PMID:34502466
Variation in Ribosomal DNA in the Genus Trifolium (Fabaceae) Vozárová R, Macková E, Vlk D, Řepková J Plants (Basel) 25-Aug-2021
PMCID:PMC8465422
doi:10.3390/plants10091771
PMID:34579303
Dianthus superbus as a critically endangered species in Latvia: evaluation of its growth conditions and conservation possibilities Osvalde A, Jakobsone G, Akmane I, Svilāns A, Dubova I AoB Plants 07-Aug-2021
PMCID:PMC8420110
doi:10.1093/aobpla/plab051
PMID:34512941
Chemical and Phytocoenological Characteristics of Two Different Slovak Peatlands Fazekašová D, Barančíková G, Fazekaš J, Štofejová L, Halas J, Litavec T, Liptaj T Plants (Basel) 24-Jun-2021
PMCID:PMC8309078
doi:10.3390/plants10071290
PMID:34202908
The complete chloroplast genome of Ormosia nuda (fabaceae), an endemic species in China Wang YH Mitochondrial DNA B Resour 21-Jun-2021
PMCID:PMC8218860
doi:10.1080/23802359.2021.1911709
PMID:34212108
Floristic Changes in the Understory Vegetation of Mixed Temperate New England Freshwater Island Forests over a Period of 33 Years Holland MM, Winkler M Plants (Basel) 18-Nov-2020
PMCID:PMC7698944
doi:10.3390/plants9111600
PMID:33218069
Initial Characterization of the Chloroplast Genome of Vicia sepium, an Important Wild Resource Plant, and Related Inferences About Its Evolution Li C, Zhao Y, Xu Z, Yang G, Peng J, Peng X Front Genet 20-Feb-2020
PMCID:PMC7044246
doi:10.3389/fgene.2020.00073
PMID:32153639
Plantibacter flavus, Curtobacterium herbarum, Paenibacillus taichungensis, and Rhizobium selenitireducens Endophytes Provide Host-Specific Growth Promotion of Arabidopsis thaliana, Basil, Lettuce, and Bok Choy Plants Mayer E, Dörr de Quadros P, Fulthorpe R Appl Environ Microbiol 17-Sep-2019
PMCID:PMC6752021
doi:10.1128/AEM.00383-19
PMID:31350315
Comparative proteomics and gene expression analyses revealed responsive proteins and mechanisms for salt tolerance in chickpea genotypes Arefian M, Vessal S, Malekzadeh-Shafaroudi S, Siddique KH, Bagheri A BMC Plant Biol 09-Jul-2019
PMCID:PMC6617847
doi:10.1186/s12870-019-1793-z
PMID:31288738
Data on flower resources for pollinators in Romanian semi-natural grasslands mown at different times Wehn S, Westin A, Johansen L, Iuga A, Ivascu CM, Kallioniemi E, Lennartsson T Data Brief 27-May-2019
PMCID:PMC6562176
doi:10.1016/j.dib.2019.104065
PMID:31211209
Lost and Found: Return of the Inverted Repeat in the Legume Clade Defined by Its Absence Choi IS, Jansen R, Ruhlman T Genome Biol Evol 08-Apr-2019
PMCID:PMC6496590
doi:10.1093/gbe/evz076
PMID:31046101

Phytochemical Profile Top

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Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
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Name PubChem ID Canonical SMILES MW Found in Proof
> Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Flavones / Flavonols
Isorhamnetin 5281654 Click to see 316.26 unknown https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00579982
Quercetin 5280343 Click to see 302.23 unknown https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00579982
> Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Flavonoid glycosides / Flavonoid O-glycosides / Flavonoid-3-O-glycosides
2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-5,7-dihydroxy-3-((2S,3R,4R,5R,6S)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxan-2-yl)oxychromen-4-one 51402807 Click to see 464.40 unknown https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00579982
2-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)-5,7-Dihydroxy-3-(3,4,5-Trihydroxy-6-(Hydroxymethyl)Oxan-2-Yl)Oxychromen-4-One 5378597 Click to see 464.40 unknown https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00579982
2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-7-hydroxy-3-[(2S,3R,4S,5S,6R)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-[[(2R,3R,4R,5R,6S)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-methyloxan-2-yl]oxymethyl]oxan-2-yl]oxychromen-4-one 163026589 Click to see 594.50 unknown https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00579982
2-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)-7-hydroxy-3-[3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-[(3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-methyloxan-2-yl)oxymethyl]oxan-2-yl]oxychromen-4-one 163026588 Click to see CC1C(C(C(C(O1)OCC2C(C(C(C(O2)OC3=C(OC4=C(C3=O)C=CC(=C4)O)C5=CC(=C(C=C5)O)O)O)O)O)O)O)O 594.50 unknown https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00579982
Hyperoside 5281643 Click to see C1=CC(=C(C=C1C2=C(C(=O)C3=C(C=C(C=C3O2)O)O)OC4C(C(C(C(O4)CO)O)O)O)O)O 464.40 unknown https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00579982
Isoquercetin 5280804 Click to see 464.40 unknown https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00579982
Rutin 5280805 Click to see 610.50 unknown https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00579982
> Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Isoflavonoids / Isoflav-2-enes / Isoflavones
Genistein 5280961 Click to see 270.24 unknown https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00579982
> Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Isoflavonoids / Isoflavonoid O-glycosides
3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-7-[(2S,4S,5R)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxan-2-yl]oxychromen-4-one 44257215 Click to see COC1=CC=C(C=C1)C2=COC3=C(C2=O)C=CC(=C3)OC4C(C(C(C(O4)CO)O)O)O 430.40 unknown https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00579982
5-Hydroxy-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-4-oxo-4H-1-benzopyran-7-yl hexopyranoside 5358913 Click to see 446.40 unknown https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00579982
Npc198030 3733033 Click to see 430.40 unknown https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00579982
Ononin 442813 Click to see 430.40 unknown https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00579982
Sissotrin 5280781 Click to see COC1=CC=C(C=C1)C2=COC3=CC(=CC(=C3C2=O)O)OC4C(C(C(C(O4)CO)O)O)O 446.40 unknown https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00579982
> Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Isoflavonoids / O-methylated isoflavonoids / 4-O-methylated isoflavonoids / 4-O-methylisoflavones
Biochanin A 5280373 Click to see 284.26 unknown https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00579982

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