alsike

alsike (AL-sahyk, AL-sik) - n., a perennial European clover (Trifolium hybridum) widely cultivated as a forage plant.


The odd common name is after the Swedish town of Alsike, where Linnaeus first described it. The odd binomial name is because he thought, based on its white-shading-to-pink flowers, that it was a hybrid -- but no, it's actually a separate species. Native to a band running from central Europe to southwestern Asia, but propagated widely to temperate regions worldwide.


Thanks, WikiMedia!

---L.