How do four leaf clovers grow

We have the advantage that I planted clover around the fruit trees and it is thriving so we have a large patch. Not only do we find four-leaf clovers but also five-leaf and six-leaf clovers. What causes the extra leaves? Scientists have determined that the extra leaflets are caused by genetics, mutations and environmental conditions. Many of the physical appearances of white clover Trifolium repens are influenced by genetics, like the appearance of the white v-mark, red flecking and red coloring on the white flowers.

A dominant gene in white clover produces three-leaf clovers. However, when the recessive gene is expressed or there is a mutation, four or more leaves are produced.

Typically the fourth leaf is smaller. On top of that, white clover don't have the tidiest genealogies. The plants are promiscuous outbreeders opposite of inbreeders, sorry Team Lannister. In fact, they are pretty much incapable of breeding with themselves as many plants do.

Combined with the quadruple chromosomes, the white clover's sex life means that it is incredibly difficult to figure out which genes came from which parent. This means inheritance studieswhich figure out if a gene's expression is due to nature over nurtureare all but impossible.

But Parrott's group made an admirable accomplishment. They grew plants and recordedamong other leaf traits like pattern and colorany plants with at least one four-leafed stem A single clover plant sends out many runners. In the study, four-leafed stems favored warm conditionsthere were double the amount of outdoor four-leaf clovers in the summer than winter.

And in the winter, more lucky shamrocks grew in the greenhouse than outside. This could mean that three leaves is an adaption for colder or wetter climates. Clovers are a member of the bean family, which Parrott says have been steadily losing leaves over the millennia.

Amongst all the sets of 3 leaflets, any mutation will stick out like a sore thumb. So even though they say there is only one 4-leafer in 10, clovers, thats not entirely the whole story.

One clover is just a member of one White Clover plant, which can cover from a few square inches to a few square feet. And some plants are more susceptible to mutation than others, so if you find one, look hard in the near vicinity. Several of the mutants pictured in the following steps were all found within a few square inches. Mutant clovers are also more prevalent later in summer than they are in spring, and some places just seem more environmentally favorable to produce mutants.

The following steps show a few typical mutants so you know what you are looking for. The Classic 4-leaf clover has, well, 4 leaflets. Most mutants have three leaf stems in which one has split into two leaves, one usally smaller than the other. These types are probably produced by evironmental factors more than genetic factors not that genes don't play a part. Clovers with 4 leaflets, evenly shaped, and 4 seperate leaflet stems are, from my experience, rarer, and probably strongly genetically influenced.

Note: There are a few companies that have tried to breed 4-leaf clovers to sell for their alleged lucky properties. Due to the complications between environmental and genetic influence, these breeds are tough to produce, and only marginally effective, or so i've read. Some have the attributes of several different kinds of mutants and can be really interesting.

Some clovers not very exciting, but pretty rare have a mitten shaped leaflet due to conjoined leaves. You can tell they are conjoined by looking under the leaflet and noticing that it contains two stems see below.

Even rarer: sometimes part of conjoined leaf breaks off, with a little leaf sticking like a "thumb" off the mitten sorry, no pic Some clovers will also have a "rust color". This is probably due to an inability of this clover to produce green chlorophyll in the leaflets, showing the less dominant red, yellow, or brown hues, much like how leaves turn colors in fall. Unlike deciduous plants, however, I've noticed this discoloration through out the year.

These clovers exhibit a strage shape of each leaf which reminds me of the shape of a spade. At first i thought it was due to insects, but the pattern is too perfect and insects too hungry to always produce this shape. Must be a mutant! As you can see in the picture, we measured out a six-inch square and laid it over a patch of fairly dense clovers. As we picked the clovers on the top layer, we noticed there was another layer of clovers below it, and another one below that.

After we picked all of the clovers out of the square, we counted them. That quarter of a square foot patch had about clovers. Doing some simple math, we estimated that there are clovers per square foot and 10, clovers can grow in just We both thought it was going to be a much larger area, which would make finding them more difficult. That helps to explain the ease that some have of finding them! According to probability theory, the probability of an event happening is determined in part by the type of event.

In this case, I need to determine whether finding four-leaf clovers are either independent or dependent events. An event is dependent if the occurrence of the event affects the probability of the event happening again. In terms of four-leaf clovers, if you find one four-leaf clover, does the probability of the next clover being a four-leaf clover stay the same independent or change dependent? Researchers at the University of Georgia have discovered a gene that allows clover plants to grow a fourth leaf.

Clover with this gene typically grow three leaves.