Clover does have yellow flowers. Clover belongs to the large legume family and is a common sight in lawns, pastures, and fields worldwide. While the most well-known clovers have white or pinkish-red globular blossoms, several true clovers reliably produce bright yellow flowers. This yellow coloration often leads to confusion with other similar-looking plants.
The True Yellow Clovers
Plants classified as true clovers, or members of the Trifolium genus, include species with distinctly yellow flowers. The most widespread example is Hop Clover (Trifolium campestre). This low-growing annual typically produces small, dense, globular flower heads about half an inch long. These heads are composed of 20 to 40 tiny individual flowers that turn a distinctive rusty brown color as they age, giving the cluster a papery, hop-like appearance.
Another true clover is Large Hop Trefoil (Trifolium aureum), which grows slightly taller, reaching up to 12 inches high with larger flower heads. A smaller relative, Lesser Hop Clover (Trifolium dubium), also has yellow blossoms but forms much smaller clusters with only a few flowers per head. All of these true yellow clovers are herbaceous annuals or biennials that possess the characteristic three-leaflet structure, or trifoliate leaf.
Common Yellow-Flowered Look-Alikes
Many plants with yellow flowers and trifoliate leaves are commonly mistaken for clover, though they belong to entirely different genera. Black Medic (Medicago lupulina) is the most frequent imposter, often found spreading low to the ground in turfgrass and compacted soils. It produces small clusters of tiny yellow flowers compressed into a tight, ball-like shape, closely resembling Hop Clover. Black Medic is easily identified after flowering because its seed pods mature into small, dark, kidney-shaped capsules that turn black upon ripening, earning it its common name.
Another pervasive look-alike is Yellow Sweet Clover (Melilotus officinalis), a biennial that grows much taller and more upright than true clovers, often reaching heights of four to six feet. Unlike the globular flower heads of clover, Yellow Sweet Clover produces numerous fragrant yellow flowers crowded onto elongated, spike-like stalks called racemes. This vertical growth habit and the long, thin flower arrangement make it distinct from the low-growing, round-headed true clovers.
Practical Identification Keys
To accurately identify a yellow-flowered plant, examining the leaves and flower structure is more reliable than simply noting the color. The arrangement of the leaflets is a primary differentiator, particularly the stalk, or petiole, of the center leaflet. In Black Medic, the central leaflet is slightly separated from the two side leaflets because it sits on a noticeably longer stalk.
In contrast, the leaflets of most true clovers, like Hop Clover (Trifolium campestre), are nearly stalkless, or sessile, though the middle leaflet may have a short stalk. Another simple key is to inspect the leaflet margins: Black Medic has fine serrations or teeth along the edges and a tiny, projecting spur at the tip. True clovers generally have smoother, more rounded or blunt leaflet tips, though they may have subtle teeth near the apex. Finally, the plant’s stature provides an immediate clue, as the tall, spiked flowers of Yellow Sweet Clover are unmistakable against the short, round heads of true clovers and Black Medic.