Whats the difference between clover and shamrock?
A shamrock is a common name for a clover. But as American botanist Kathleen Pelkki explains, a shamrock is a common name for any number of plants belonging to the genus Trifolium, from the Latin meaning “having three leaves.” The plant most commonly referred to as shamrock is white clover or Trifolium repens. The Irish word “seamrog,” from which shamrock comes, means “little clover.” Black medic, wood sorrel, and the hop clover have also been called shamrocks. There is some debate over this issue. We found an Irish FAQ that claims that shamrocks are smaller than clovers, though they are both species of Trifolium. We couldn’t verify this with other online resources. For a thoroughly detailed investigation of this issue, we refer you to Jane Lyons’ article “The Real Shamrock.” She stat
