fbpx
Wikipedia

Four-leaf clover

February 15, 2024

For other plants informally known as "four-leaf clover" and other uses, see Four-leaf clover (disambiguation).

The four-leaf clover is a rare variation of the common three-leaf clover. According to traditional sayings, such clovers bring good luck,[1] though it is not clear when or how this idea began. One early mention of "Fower-leafed or purple grasse" is from 1640 and simply says that it was kept in gardens because it was "good for the purples in children or others".[2]

Four-leaf white clover (Trifolium repens).

Occurrence edit

A 2017 survey of approximately 7 million clovers in central Europe found the frequency to be about 5000 to 1 (one four-leaf clover for every ~5000 normal three-leaf clovers), twice the commonly stated probability of 10,000 to 1. According to this survey, the frequency of a five-leaf clover is ~24,400 to 1, and of a six-leaf clover is ~312,500 to 1.[3]

Clovers can have more than four leaves. Five-leaf clovers are less commonly found naturally than four-leaf clovers;[4][5] however, they, too, have been successfully cultivated.[6] Some four-leaf clover collectors, particularly in Ireland, regard the five-leaf clover, known as a rose clover, as a particular prize.[7] The most leaves ever found on a single clover stem (Trifolium repens L.) is 56 and was discovered by Shigeo Obara of Hanamaki, Iwate, Japan, on 10 May 2009.[8][9]

Collectors have reached records as high as 160,000 four-leaf clovers in a lifetime.[10] The world record for number of four-leaf clovers collected in one hour is 166, set by American Katie Borka on June 23, 2018.[11]

Cause edit

 
A four-leaf clover amongst others with three leaves

It is debated whether the fourth leaf is caused genetically or environmentally. Its relative rarity (1 in 5,000 clovers[3]) suggests a possible recessive gene appearing at a low frequency. Alternatively, four-leaf clovers could be caused by somatic mutation or a developmental error of environmental causes. They could also be caused by the interaction of several genes that happen to segregate in the individual plant. It is possible all four explanations could apply to individual cases. This means that multiple four-leaf clovers could be found in the same cloverplant.[12]

Researchers from the University of Georgia have reported finding the gene that turns ordinary three-leaf clovers into the coveted four-leaf types. Masked by the three-leaf gene and strongly influenced by environmental condition, molecular markers now make it possible to detect the presence of the gene for four-leaves and for breeders to work with it. The results of the study, which also located two other leaf traits in the white-clover genome, were reported in the July/August 2010 edition of Crop Science, published by the Crop Science Society of America.[13]

The other leaf traits, the red fleck mark and red midrib, a herringbone pattern that streaks down the center of each leaflet in a bold red color, were mapped to nearby locations, resolving a century-old question as to whether these leaf traits were controlled by one gene or two separate genes.

White clover has many genes that affect leaf color and shape, and the three in the study were very rare. These traits can be quite attractive, particularly if combined with others, and can turn clover into an ornamental plant for use in flower beds.[14]

There are reports of farms in the US which specialize in four-leaf clovers, producing as many as 10,000 a day (to be sealed in plastic as "lucky charms") by introducing a genetically engineered ingredient to the plants to encourage the aberration (there are, however, widely available cultivars that regularly produce leaves with multiple leaflets – see below).[15]

Multi-leaved cultivars edit

 
A five-leaf Trifolium repens

There are some cultivars of white clover (Trifolium repens) which regularly produce more than three leaflets, including purple-leaved T. repens "Purpurascens Quadrifolium" and green-leaved T. repens "Quadrifolium".[16] Some clovers have more spade shape leaves, rather than the usual rounded ones. This may be a genetic mutation. Some genetic mutations in clovers include spade-like shaped leaves or a dotted rusty colour on the leaves.

Trifolium repens "Good Luck" is a cultivar which has three, four, or five green, dark-centered leaflets per leaf.[17]

Other species edit

Other plants may be mistaken for, or misleadingly sold as, "four-leaf clovers"; for example, Oxalis tetraphylla is a species of wood sorrel with leaves resembling a four-leaf clover.[18][19] Other species that have been sold as "four-leaf clovers" include Marsilea quadrifolia.[20][21]

As a good luck charm edit

A description from 1869 says that four-leaf clovers were "gathered at night-time during the full moon by sorceresses, who mixed it with vervain and other ingredients, while young girls in search of a token of perfect happiness made quest of the plant by day".[22]

In an 1877 letter to St. Nicholas Magazine, an 11-year-old girl wrote, "Did the fairies ever whisper in your ear, that a four-leaf clover brought good luck to the finder?"[23]

Symbolic usage edit

 
Four-leaf clover pictured in the coat of arms of Lääne-Nigula Parish
 
The Four leaf clover is used as a symbol by multiple agrarian political parties in Northern and Eastern Europe

Meanings edit

Some folk traditions assign a different attribute to each leaf of a clover. The leaves have been used by Christians to represent hope, faith, love and luck.[31] Others say that four-leaf clovers granted the power to see fairies, or that they are related to Saint Patrick's use of the shamrock to explain the Christian doctrine of the Holy Trinity to the Irish.[32][better source needed]

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Four-leaf clover.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Harry Oliver (2010). Black Cats & Four-Leaf Clovers: The Origins of Old Wives' Tales and Superstitions in Our Everyday Lives (reprint ed.). Penguin. ISBN 9781101442814.
  2. ^ Parkinson J. 1640. Theatrum Botanicum: The Theater of Plants or An Herball of Large Extent. Tho. Cotes. Publisher, London, Pp 1110-1112.
  3. ^ a b Sperling, Uli (24 July 2017). . Share the Luck. Archived from the original on 5 December 2020.
  4. ^ Hershey, David (16 March 2000). "Re: how common is a five leaf clover?". MadSci Network.
  5. ^ . Clovers Online. Clover Specialty Company. 2004. Archived from the original on 27 December 2008.
  6. ^ "Five-leaf clover". Mt. Vernon Register-News. 14 October 2008. Archived from the original on 8 September 2012.
  7. ^ Mabey, Richard, Flora Britannica, p. 225 (citing Edward and Helene Wenis of Leonia, New Jersey, U.S., writing in BSBI News, 56, 1990)
  8. ^ "Most leaves on a clover". Guinness World Records. 10 May 2009. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  9. ^ . National Geographic. 12 May 2009. Archived from the original on 18 May 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  10. ^ George, Jason (17 March 2008). "160,000? That's a lot of luck". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  11. ^ Ross, Hailey (25 June 2018). "Spotsylvania girl charms her way into Guinness Book of World Records by finding 166 four-leaf clovers". Fredericksburg.com. The Free Lance-Star.
  12. ^ Marcel Cleene, Marie Claire Lejeune (2002). Compendium of Symbolic and Ritual Plants in Europe: Herbs. Vol. 2. Man & Culture.
  13. ^ Tashiro, R.M., et al. Leaf Trait Coloration in White Clover and Molecular Mapping of the Red Midrib and Leaflet Number Traits. Crop Science 7 June 2010.
  14. ^ [1] The Georgia White Clover Ornamental Collection.
  15. ^ Mabey, Richard, Ibid, p. 225
  16. ^ Lord, Tony (ed), RHS Plant Finder 2006–2007, (20th edition), Dorling Kindersley, London, 2006, p. 743. ISBN 1-4053-1455-9
  17. ^ Killerplants.com 2008-10-11 at the Wayback Machine (photo)
  18. ^ The Four Leaf Clover Kit (Mega Mini Kits) (Paperback). Amazon review. 12 September 2006.
  19. ^ Good Luck Plant Kit 2008-12-27 at the Wayback Machine. FourLeafClover.com. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
  20. ^ All About Shamrocks Four-Leaf Clovers 2008-12-14 at the Wayback Machine. LollySmith.com. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
  21. ^ Keenan, Susan M. The Four Leaf Clover 2009-01-30 at the Wayback Machine. HotFact.com. 11 March 2008.
  22. ^ Masters MT. 1869. Vegetable Teratology, An Account of the Principal Deviations from the Usual Construction of Plants. Robert Hardwicke Publisher, London, P 356.
  23. ^ Child, Madge. 1877. In a letter titled "Four-Leaved Clovers," (St. Nicholas; an Illustrated Magazine for Young Folks), Volume 4, pp. 634-5, in the subsection of letters called "Jack-in-the-Pulpit", July 1877.
  24. ^ "The Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN. C42 is born". Alfa Romeo. 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  25. ^ "SpaceX's 3rd Space Station Resupply Flight Gets 3-Sided Mission Patch". space.com. Retrieved 23 February 2015
  26. ^ "Clover Park School District Homepage". www.cloverpark.k12.wa.us.
  27. ^ "Clover Pub - European Pub". cloverpub.com.br.
  28. ^ "Celtic Computers | Laptop & PC Computer Repair". www.celtic-computers.co.uk.
  29. ^ "Elsie Carper Collection on Extension Service, Home Economics, and 4-H". usda.gov. Retrieved 11 March 2016
  30. ^ "How Van Cleef & Arpels Got Its Four-Leaf Clover | Barnebys Magazine". Barnebys.com. 14 September 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  31. ^ Webster, Richard (2008). The Encyclopedia of Superstitions. Llewellyn Worldwide. p. 61. ISBN 9780738725611. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  32. ^ Grauschopf, Sandra (20 November 2019). "11 Juicy Facts About Four-Leaf Clovers". thebalanceeveryday.com.

February 15, 2024
four, leaf, clover, other, plants, informally, known, four, leaf, clover, other, uses, disambiguation, four, leaf, clover, rare, variation, common, three, leaf, clover, according, traditional, sayings, such, clovers, bring, good, luck, though, clear, when, thi. For other plants informally known as four leaf clover and other uses see Four leaf clover disambiguation The four leaf clover is a rare variation of the common three leaf clover According to traditional sayings such clovers bring good luck 1 though it is not clear when or how this idea began One early mention of Fower leafed or purple grasse is from 1640 and simply says that it was kept in gardens because it was good for the purples in children or others 2 Four leaf white clover Trifolium repens Contents 1 Occurrence 2 Cause 3 Multi leaved cultivars 4 Other species 5 As a good luck charm 6 Symbolic usage 7 Meanings 8 See also 9 ReferencesOccurrence editA 2017 survey of approximately 7 million clovers in central Europe found the frequency to be about 5000 to 1 one four leaf clover for every 5000 normal three leaf clovers twice the commonly stated probability of 10 000 to 1 According to this survey the frequency of a five leaf clover is 24 400 to 1 and of a six leaf clover is 312 500 to 1 3 Clovers can have more than four leaves Five leaf clovers are less commonly found naturally than four leaf clovers 4 5 however they too have been successfully cultivated 6 Some four leaf clover collectors particularly in Ireland regard the five leaf clover known as a rose clover as a particular prize 7 The most leaves ever found on a single clover stem Trifolium repens L is 56 and was discovered by Shigeo Obara of Hanamaki Iwate Japan on 10 May 2009 8 9 Collectors have reached records as high as 160 000 four leaf clovers in a lifetime 10 The world record for number of four leaf clovers collected in one hour is 166 set by American Katie Borka on June 23 2018 11 Cause edit nbsp A four leaf clover amongst others with three leavesIt is debated whether the fourth leaf is caused genetically or environmentally Its relative rarity 1 in 5 000 clovers 3 suggests a possible recessive gene appearing at a low frequency Alternatively four leaf clovers could be caused by somatic mutation or a developmental error of environmental causes They could also be caused by the interaction of several genes that happen to segregate in the individual plant It is possible all four explanations could apply to individual cases This means that multiple four leaf clovers could be found in the same cloverplant 12 Researchers from the University of Georgia have reported finding the gene that turns ordinary three leaf clovers into the coveted four leaf types Masked by the three leaf gene and strongly influenced by environmental condition molecular markers now make it possible to detect the presence of the gene for four leaves and for breeders to work with it The results of the study which also located two other leaf traits in the white clover genome were reported in the July August 2010 edition of Crop Science published by the Crop Science Society of America 13 The other leaf traits the red fleck mark and red midrib a herringbone pattern that streaks down the center of each leaflet in a bold red color were mapped to nearby locations resolving a century old question as to whether these leaf traits were controlled by one gene or two separate genes White clover has many genes that affect leaf color and shape and the three in the study were very rare These traits can be quite attractive particularly if combined with others and can turn clover into an ornamental plant for use in flower beds 14 There are reports of farms in the US which specialize in four leaf clovers producing as many as 10 000 a day to be sealed in plastic as lucky charms by introducing a genetically engineered ingredient to the plants to encourage the aberration there are however widely available cultivars that regularly produce leaves with multiple leaflets see below 15 Multi leaved cultivars edit nbsp A five leaf Trifolium repensThere are some cultivars of white clover Trifolium repens which regularly produce more than three leaflets including purple leaved T repens Purpurascens Quadrifolium and green leaved T repens Quadrifolium 16 Some clovers have more spade shape leaves rather than the usual rounded ones This may be a genetic mutation Some genetic mutations in clovers include spade like shaped leaves or a dotted rusty colour on the leaves Trifolium repens Good Luck is a cultivar which has three four or five green dark centered leaflets per leaf 17 Other species editOther plants may be mistaken for or misleadingly sold as four leaf clovers for example Oxalis tetraphylla is a species of wood sorrel with leaves resembling a four leaf clover 18 19 Other species that have been sold as four leaf clovers include Marsilea quadrifolia 20 21 As a good luck charm editA description from 1869 says that four leaf clovers were gathered at night time during the full moon by sorceresses who mixed it with vervain and other ingredients while young girls in search of a token of perfect happiness made quest of the plant by day 22 In an 1877 letter to St Nicholas Magazine an 11 year old girl wrote Did the fairies ever whisper in your ear that a four leaf clover brought good luck to the finder 23 Symbolic usage edit nbsp Four leaf clover pictured in the coat of arms of Laane Nigula Parish nbsp The Four leaf clover is used as a symbol by multiple agrarian political parties in Northern and Eastern EuropeItalian automobile maker Alfa Romeo uses a quadrifoglio four leaf clover icon to delineate its racing cars and performance oriented road models This tradition started in the 1923 Targa Florio race when driver Ugo Sivocci decorated his car with a green clover on a white background citation needed As of 2022 the quadrifoglio is used on the company s race liveries 24 Los Angeles based space exploration company SpaceX includes a four leaf clover on each space mission embroidered patch as a good luck charm Inclusion of the clover has become a regular icon on SpaceX s flight patches ever since the company s first successful Falcon 1 rocket launch in 2008 which was the first mission to feature a clover for luck on its patch 25 Celtic Football Club an association football team from Glasgow Scotland have used the four leaf clover as the club s official badge for over 40 years Former Japanese game developer studio Clover Studio used a four leaf clover as their logo Several businesses and organisations use a four leaf clover in their logos to signify Celtic origins 26 27 28 The global network of youth organizations 4 H uses a green four leaf clover with a white H on each leaf 29 The logo of the New Jersey Lottery features an outline of the state in white on a green four leaf clover printed on a lottery draw machine ball The English language imageboard 4chan features a four leaf clover in its logo as a nod to its predecessor the Japanese site Futaba Channel 2chan whose name means two leaves leading 4chan to be referred to in Japan as yotsuba meaning four leaves Traditional symbol of agrarian parties popularized by Republican Party of Farmers and Peasants Bulgarian Agrarian National Union People s Party and International Agrarian Bureau in interwar period Used until today among others by Polish People s Party Estonian Centre Party and Nordic agrarian parties In Japan the Green Cars of Shinkansen use a four leaf clover logo Jewelry brand Van Cleef amp Arpels the Alhambra lines feature motifs of four leaf clover 30 Meanings editSome folk traditions assign a different attribute to each leaf of a clover The leaves have been used by Christians to represent hope faith love and luck 31 Others say that four leaf clovers granted the power to see fairies or that they are related to Saint Patrick s use of the shamrock to explain the Christian doctrine of the Holy Trinity to the Irish 32 better source needed nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Four leaf clover See also editFern flowerReferences edit Harry Oliver 2010 Black Cats amp Four Leaf Clovers The Origins of Old Wives Tales and Superstitions in Our Everyday Lives reprint ed Penguin ISBN 9781101442814 Parkinson J 1640 Theatrum Botanicum The Theater of Plants or An Herball of Large Extent Tho Cotes Publisher London Pp 1110 1112 a b Sperling Uli 24 July 2017 How rare are four leaf clovers really Share the Luck Archived from the original on 5 December 2020 Hershey David 16 March 2000 Re how common is a five leaf clover MadSci Network Facts About Five leaf Clovers Clovers Online Clover Specialty Company 2004 Archived from the original on 27 December 2008 Five leaf clover Mt Vernon Register News 14 October 2008 Archived from the original on 8 September 2012 Mabey Richard Flora Britannica p 225 citing Edward and Helene Wenis of Leonia New Jersey U S writing in BSBI News 56 1990 Most leaves on a clover Guinness World Records 10 May 2009 Retrieved 20 November 2011 WEEK IN PHOTOS Unlucky Kangaroo 56 Leaf Clover More National Geographic 12 May 2009 Archived from the original on 18 May 2009 Retrieved 17 March 2019 George Jason 17 March 2008 160 000 That s a lot of luck Chicago Tribune Retrieved 11 January 2020 Ross Hailey 25 June 2018 Spotsylvania girl charms her way into Guinness Book of World Records by finding 166 four leaf clovers Fredericksburg com The Free Lance Star Marcel Cleene Marie Claire Lejeune 2002 Compendium of Symbolic and Ritual Plants in Europe Herbs Vol 2 Man amp Culture Tashiro R M et al Leaf Trait Coloration in White Clover and Molecular Mapping of the Red Midrib and Leaflet Number Traits Crop Science 7 June 2010 1 The Georgia White Clover Ornamental Collection Mabey Richard Ibid p 225 Lord Tony ed RHS Plant Finder 2006 2007 20th edition Dorling Kindersley London 2006 p 743 ISBN 1 4053 1455 9 Killerplants com Archived 2008 10 11 at the Wayback Machine photo The Four Leaf Clover Kit Mega Mini Kits Paperback Amazon review 12 September 2006 Good Luck Plant Kit Archived 2008 12 27 at the Wayback Machine FourLeafClover com Retrieved 7 December 2008 All About Shamrocks Four Leaf Clovers Archived 2008 12 14 at the Wayback Machine LollySmith com Retrieved 7 December 2008 Keenan Susan M The Four Leaf Clover Archived 2009 01 30 at the Wayback Machine HotFact com 11 March 2008 Masters MT 1869 Vegetable Teratology An Account of the Principal Deviations from the Usual Construction of Plants Robert Hardwicke Publisher London P 356 Child Madge 1877 In a letter titled Four Leaved Clovers St Nicholas an Illustrated Magazine for Young Folks Volume 4 pp 634 5 in the subsection of letters called Jack in the Pulpit July 1877 The Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN C42 is born Alfa Romeo 2022 Retrieved 15 May 2022 SpaceX s 3rd Space Station Resupply Flight Gets 3 Sided Mission Patch space com Retrieved 23 February 2015 Clover Park School District Homepage www cloverpark k12 wa us Clover Pub European Pub cloverpub com br Celtic Computers Laptop amp PC Computer Repair www celtic computers co uk Elsie Carper Collection on Extension Service Home Economics and 4 H usda gov Retrieved 11 March 2016 How Van Cleef amp Arpels Got Its Four Leaf Clover Barnebys Magazine Barnebys com 14 September 2022 Retrieved 9 January 2024 Webster Richard 2008 The Encyclopedia of Superstitions Llewellyn Worldwide p 61 ISBN 9780738725611 Retrieved 18 July 2022 Grauschopf Sandra 20 November 2019 11 Juicy Facts About Four Leaf Clovers thebalanceeveryday com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Four leaf clover amp oldid 1194521118, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.