シロツメクサ，マメ科の多年草で，ヨーロッパ原産。一名オランダゲンゲ。通常はクローバーの名で呼ばれている。往時オランダ人がガラス器を送るときに詰め物として渡来したという。現在は野生化して日本各地に普通にみられる。茎は地面をはい長柄の3出複葉をつける。花は 10～20cmの花柄に散形について球状になる。個々の花は小さな蝶形花で，色は白色であるが，しばしば淡紅色を帯びる。同属のムラサキツメクサ T. pratenseとともに牧草としても有用である。
化学的特性
Clover is a tufted or diffuse herb with trifoliate leaves and toothed leaflets. Flowers consist of dense heads or spikes.
More than 80 varieties of this herb are recognized. Varieties grown in Europe include T. pratense L. (reddish-pink flowers), T. repens
L. and T. incarnatum L. T. pratense L. is also grown in central and northern Asia. The flowers have an intense and unpleasant odor.
精油の成分
The main constituents of clover are coumarin, genistein, pectolinarin and bichanin A. The herb red clover
(Trifolium pratense) contains isoflavones, genistein and daidzein. Analysis of the flavonoids and their glycoside malonates of the
flowers extract of red clover (T. pratense) resulted in approximately 20 flavonoid glycoside malonates in the flower extract. Eight were
identified as genistin 6?-O-malonate, formononetin 7-O-beta-D-glucoside 6?-O-malonate, biochanin A 7-O-beta-D-glucoside 6?-Omalonate,
trifoside 6?-O-malonate, irilone 4?-O-beta-D-glucoside 6?-O-malonate, pratensein 7-O-beta-D-glucoside 6?-O-malonate,
isoquercitrin 6?-O-malonate, and 3-methylquercetin 7-O-beta-D-glucoside 6?-O-malonate. About 15 other flavonoids and clovamides
were proved to be present in this extract.*
