Trefoil, << TREE foyl, >> meaning three-leaved, is the name generally applied to various plants having compound leaves with three leaflets, like the clover. It is specifically applied to the lotus group, which belongs to the pea family. Several members of this group are found in the temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere—regions with cold winters and warm or hot summers. Bird’s-foot trefoil is so called because it bears clusters of pods somewhat resembling a crow’s foot. Other species (kinds) of trefoil include marsh bird’s-foot, common in damp meadowland, and coralgem deervetch, often planted in California. See also Bird’s-foot trefoil .
