en
cs
de
Exhibit of the Month 11 / 2017
Strawberry Clover
Trifolium fragiferum L. 1753
Strawberry clover is one of 17 species of clovers that are part of the native flora of the Czech Republic. Its inflorescence changes into conspicuous globular heads during the fruiting period, somewhat resembling strawberries or raspberries. Despite its unique appearance, this perennial species is not commonly known.
It grows in grasslands on soils with alkaline reactions, predominantly saline, thus it belongs to the so-called halophytes. It has specific environmental requirements and, due to its small size, it relatively struggles to compete with taller and more robust plants. Therefore, it thrives in pastures on moist clay soils, and also grows on village greens, along the edges of paths, and in wet ditches. However, its original natural habitats – salt marshes – have been steadily declining in recent decades. As a result, it has been classified as a threatened species in the Red List of Vascular Plants of the Czech Republic (category "VU" = vulnerable, previously C3).
The significance of strawberry clover for humans is relatively small; in areas with extensive saline soils (outside the Czech Republic), it has been sown in fodder mixtures. However, it serves as a food plant for various insect species. Its cultivation is relatively easy, yet it is not utilized as an ornamental plant.
Salt Marshes
People usually associate the most valuable places in our nature with primeval forests, meadows full of orchids, peat bogs, etc. However, not far from us, there are inconspicuous habitats on clayey mineral soils – salt marshes, which represent the last refuge for many very rare and endangered species of plants and invertebrates. Their occurrence in Bohemia is concentrated in the Most, Žatec, and partly in the lower Poohří regions; they have persisted here for tens of thousands of years. Unfortunately, they are continuously disappearing due to land being taken for construction and leaving land fallow. One of the last natural peculiarities of the Most region is thus disappearing right before our eyes. Hundreds of strawberry clover plants grew with other halophytes at a site near a gas station in the center of Havraně for decades until mid-September 2017. Due to road modifications and the construction of a sidewalk, the site was lost.