Flower profile

Hop trefoil

Trifolium campestre

Hop trefoil (Trifolium campestre) is a flowering plant in the Fabaceae family, introduced in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–June across the U.S.

Introduced in the lower 48

Hop trefoil is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as introduced in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 5 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–June.

44states where USDA records it

5Bloomipedia state lists include it

18,446U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee

Quick look

Trifolium campestre, commonly known as hop trefoil, field clover and low hop clover, is a species of flowering plant native to Europe and western Asia.
From Wikipedia's article Trifolium campestre, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Fabaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual, biennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as introduced in the lower 48 states and records it in 44 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as not native to Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Missouri and Oklahoma. ^NatureServe
In Tennessee, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–June. ^iNaturalist
In Georgia, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–May. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,323 research-grade sightings of it in Tennessee, ranking #89 among the 182 flowers on our Tennessee list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 969 research-grade sightings of it in Georgia, ranking #98 among the 183 flowers on our Georgia list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 780 research-grade sightings of it in Alabama, ranking #76 among the 167 flowers on our Alabama list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (2,300 records)

Bloom time in the 5 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Tennessee	Introduced	April–June	1,323
Georgia	Introduced	March–May	969
Alabama	Introduced	March–May	780
Missouri	Introduced	April–June	751
Oklahoma	Introduced	few records (26)	720

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: GNR Not yet ranked worldwide. ^NatureServe
Tennessee: Not listed Not on Tennessee endangered plants (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-06-02-.04, Rare Plant Protection and Conservation Act). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Tennessee. ^{TN rule 0400-06-02-.04}
Georgia: Not listed Not on Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Georgia. ^{Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09}
Alabama: No list Alabama has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alabama ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Alabama.
Missouri: Not listed Not on Missouri Wildlife Code endangered species (3 CSR 10-4.111), plants. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Missouri. ^{3 CSR 10-4.111}
Oklahoma: No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Oklahoma.
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list. For context only: ASPCA lists a related species, Trifolium hybridum (“Alsike Clover”), as non-toxic to dogs and cats. That doesn't tell us about this species, so keep pets away to be safe. ^ASPCA

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records hop trefoil in 44 states plus Washington, D.C.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming; District of Columbia.

Tennessee counties with USDA records: Anderson, Bedford, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Cannon, Carter, Davidson, Decatur, Dickson, Fentress, Franklin, Gibson, Giles, Grainger, Greene, Grundy, Hardeman, Hawkins, Haywood, Houston, Humphreys, Jackson, Knox, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lewis, Loudon, Marshall, Maury, McMinn, McNairy, Montgomery, Morgan, Overton, Polk, Putnam, Roane, Rutherford, Sevier, Shelby, Smith, Stewart, Sumner, Tipton, Trousdale, Washington, Wayne, Williamson, Wilson.

Georgia counties with USDA records: Baldwin, Bartow, Clarke, Colquitt, DeKalb, Dodge, Dougherty, Elbert, Fulton, Gilmer, Grady, Hall, Jones, Lowndes, Morgan, Oconee, Rockdale, Turner, Whitfield, Wilkes, Worth.

Alabama counties with USDA records: Autauga, Baldwin, Bibb, Franklin, Hale, Lawrence, Lee, Macon, Madison, Marengo, Marshall, Mobile, Tuscaloosa.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Alaska: Introduced; Canada: Introduced; Lower 48 states: Introduced; St. Pierre and Miquelon: Introduced.

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Trifolium procumbens.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 1102 counties across 40 states; the most are in Virginia (94), Illinois (78), Missouri (76).

Other Trifolium on Bloomipedia (7): White clover, Red clover, Rabbitfoot clover, Rose clover, Tomcat clover, Alsike clover, Reversed clover.

More from the Fabaceae family (114 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Lupines, Eastern redbud, Purple crownvetch, Bird's-foot trefoil, Partridge pea, White sweetclover, Common vetch, Honey mesquite.

More Tennessee flowers

Eastern redbud

Cercis canadensis

Native

🌼 Blooms in TN: March–April

White clover

Trifolium repens

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in TN: April–June

Red clover

Trifolium pratense

★ VT state flowerIntroduced

🌼 Blooms in TN: April–August

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile TRCA5.
iNaturalist, Trifolium campestre: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Trifolium campestre (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Tennessee: Tennessee endangered plants (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-06-02-.04, Rare Plant Protection and Conservation Act).
Tennessee: Tennessee Pest Plant List (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0080-06-24-.02).
Georgia: Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed).
Alabama: Alabama noxious weeds (Ala. Admin. Code r. 80-10-14-.04).
Missouri: Missouri Wildlife Code endangered species (3 CSR 10-4.111), plants.
Missouri: Missouri noxious weed list (2 CSR 70-45.005).
Oklahoma: Oklahoma Noxious Weed Law (2 O.S. § 3-220).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Trifolium campestre (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: ASPCA.
Photo: Engers via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.