Secrets of Wildflowers by Jack Sanders

Author:Jack Sanders
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781461746836
Publisher: Lyons Press

Eat Me!

Farmers used to say that an acre of clover would produce as much food for horses and cattle as four acres of grass. Red clover was once a leading hay crop and is still valued for its high protein and mineral content as well as its ability to revitalize fields. A few years ago, two million bushels of seed were being grown annually, mostly in Illinois.

While many plants have defenses to prevent them from being eaten, red and other clovers have evolved greens that are flavorful to grazing animals, apparently so they will be eaten. Being annuals, clovers must make certain their seeds are spread. They offer themselves—the entire plant, including seeds—as food for deer, cows, rabbits, and other herbivores that will later deposit the seeds in a mass of fertilizer. The seeds are especially thick-shelled, able to go through a mammal’s or a bird’s digestive system without being destroyed.

Mooo!

Red clover is the official state flower of Vermont. The state insect is the honeybee, the red clover’s biggest fan and pollinator. And the state seal depicts a cow, whose favorite food is clover.

Not all feeders are welcome, however. Some clovers, such as white clover, have cells in their leaves containing two chemical compounds that, when combined, produce small amounts of cyanide. A slug eating a leaf will break open the cells, causing the chemicals to mix and create the distasteful chemical. Cyanide is also poisonous to plants, so white clover must store the ingredients separately.

Perhaps the cyanide “flavoring” has kept clovers from being very popular with human palates. Few authorities on edible wild plants promote clover. One suggested it may cause bloating while another reports it’s hard to digest. However, the greens have been used in salads, and the dried flowers and seeds can be ground into flour. In times of famine, clovers have been eaten raw and boiled, and the flour has been used to make bread. Since the flowers are so high in nectar content, it’s not surprising that they have been used to make wine.

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