| DESCRIPTION: Prostate legume, rooting at the nodes. Leaflets obovate to elliptic, pilose or glabrous. Inflorescences with many purple flowers, globose, about 2 cm wide. USE: Grazing. GROWING PERIOD: Perennial. COMMON NAMES: African clover, Erasmus clover. FURTHER INF: It is indigenous to south-eastern South Africa, mainly confined to the Witwatersrand, Natal, Lesotho, and adjacent areas of the Orange Free State and Cape Province. It occurs mostly in lightly grazed, cool, moist, high-altitude sites. At lower altitudes or lower rainfalls, it occurs only in wet sites or on river banks. Found in areas with summer-dominant rainfall from 650-1100 mm per year. Tolerant of acid, infertile soils with moderate exchangeable aluminium. |