To which family does the clover belong: the systematic position, description and significance of the plant

Donnik, shamrock, woodpecker ... This amazing plant occupies a significant part of natural ecosystems, used in medicine, is famous for its famous honey plant. You do not know the names? But we are talking about all the famous clover. It is he who possesses all the listed characteristics. To which family the clover belongs, the features of its structure and species diversity are described in detail in our article.

Family of Legumes

First let's look at his systematic position. To which family of plants the clover belongs - it is not at all difficult to guess. It's Legumes. Their representatives deserved their name due to the presence of the same name fruit. Bob is a dry opening, the seeds are located on the leaves. Plants of this family are found on the planet almost everywhere - from the poles of cold to hot desert territories.

In addition to the characteristic fruit, the main signs of legumes is a flower of irregular shape. The corolla is formed by five petals, which differ significantly in structure. One of them is the largest, it is also called a sail. Two lateral ones are located freely, like oars, and the lower ones are joined together, as if forming the bottom of the boat. In appearance, this flower also looks very much like a butterfly. This determines another name for this family - butterflies.

Variety of legumes

Representatives of this family are widely distributed in the natural environment, as well as artificially cultivated by humans. Peas, soybeans, beans are widely used for food in fresh and canned form. From peanuts receive nutritious oil. A sweet clover and licorice are used in the pharmaceutical industry for the production of expectorant homeopathic remedies.

Clover as a representative of legumes

To which family the clover belongs, it is easy to determine by the external features of its structure. The fact that this is a representative of the legume family, there is not the slightest doubt. These are single or perennial herbaceous life forms, reaching up to 50 cm in height. Root clover system of rod type. A characteristic feature of his life, like all legumes, is the presence of nodule bacteria. These organisms are able to assimilate atmospheric nitrogen well, while turning it into compounds that can be assimilated by plants. For this reason, clover is often used in crop rotation to increase the yield of various types of soils. This plant also has characteristic leaves, so it is difficult to confuse it. They are complex, triple, simple plates that join at one point of the petiole. Sitting flowers are irregular in shape. They have small petals, so they develop in complex inflorescences, which are called the head. In this form, flowers attract pollinated insects, being a valuable honey culture.

Types of clover

Scientists-taxonomists have identified more than 250 species of this plant. To which family the clover is meadow, it is easy to determine by the characteristic flower and leaves. This is the most common representative of this plant. Its fluffy yellow or pink flowers can be seen in large numbers from May to early autumn. But to which family the creeper is creeping, it is not immediately possible to determine. The thing is that its creeping stems form such dense thickets that the main one can not always be found. Because of the color of the inflorescences, this species is also called the white clover.

Currently, breeders have also brought out artificial varieties of this valuable plant. For example, there is a four-leafed clover. This plant with leaves of lilac color and green border along the plate. Such representatives are most often used for decorative purposes for landscape landscaping.

Meaning

To which family the clover belongs, we found out. But how important it is for a person is yet to be determined. Clover is used for a long time. Its healing properties are based on a large content of useful elements: magnesium, phosphorus, iron, calcium. Also, the content of vitamins, especially groups A and B, is great. To prepare medicinal broths, stems, leaves and flowers are collected and dried. You can prepare them yourself. Such broths are used as expectorant, detoxifying, diuretic and antiseptic medicines.

The shoots and flowers of clover are consumed by many animals. And since its biomass is considerably large, it is rather difficult to overestimate the value of this plant as a forage crop . Clover is also a good melon, and the long period of its flowering and the large areas occupied by this culture only reinforce its importance in this area.

Clover is a typical representative of the legume family, which are characterized by great species diversity, distribution area and area of application.