If you’re starting a new journal or diary, try drawing this clover leaf on the front cover or somewhere in the book as a way to symbolize hope and luck.
The Botany Behind the Shamrock
What are shamrocks and four-leaf clovers? This article describes the real plants behind these lucky charms, and a shamrock stand-in called Oxalis that you can grow at home.
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Updated:
February 22, 2023
Oxalis. Lois Miklas, Former Area Master Gardener Coordinator
Every March, as St. Patrick’s Day approaches, the images of green shamrocks abound. No one plant is considered a shamrock, but several living plants are associated with them, including a popular houseplant. Look at shamrock lore and how you can care for your “shamrock” plant.
What Was the Original Shamrock?
The original shamrock may have been Trifolium dubium (yellow clover or lesser trefoil) or Trifolium repens (white clover). Legend holds that St. Patrick used the three clover leaflets to explain the Christian concept of the Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—to the Irish people in the fourth century. The word “shamrock” derives from the Irish words seamair óg or young clover. According to Smithsonian Magazine, yellow clover (Trifolium dubium) is the species most often sold as a “shamrock” in Ireland. T. dubium, T. repens, and red clover, T. pratense have all been worn by the Irish as a symbol of St. Patrick’s day—a tradition dating back to the late seventeenth century.
Shamrock and four-leaf clover lore are often confused since both are associated with good luck. As noted above, the Irish shamrock has three leaflets. Occasionally, due to a fluke of genetics and environmental factors, the white clover plant (Trifolium repens) will produce four leaflets on one stem. Scientists estimate 1 to 2 four-leaf clovers for every 10,000 conventional three-leaf clovers. The association of four-leaf clovers with good luck seems to go back to ancient Celtic druids. The first documented reference to the lucky four-leaf clover is by Sir John Melton, 1620, who wrote, “If a man walking in the fields find any four-leaved grass, he shall in a small while after, find some good thing.”
What Is the Shamrock Sold as a Houseplant?
The shamrock houseplant is a member of the genus Oxalis from the wood sorrel family and is native to Africa and the Americas. Oxalis triangularis (formerly called O. regnellii) resembles a shamrock because each leaf has three triangular-shaped leaflets. Oxalis also produces many five-petalled, small white flowers.
Oxalis grows from tubers. All prefer cool conditions in bright light and well-drained soil. Their roots are shallow, and they seem to prefer being pot-bound. Using half of the recommended strength fertilizer, you can fertilize every two to three weeks during flowering. Overwatering can lead to root rot. In late fall, the foliage will yellow and die, signaling the start of dormancy which can last for one to several months. When this happens, stop watering and fertilizing and store pots in a cool, dark location until new growth begins to show. You can divide them by separating some tubers and replanting them in new pots.
All members of the genus Oxalis contain oxalic acid, which gives them a sour taste that helps to protect them from grazers. Ingesting large quantities of oxalic acid can be toxic, so be careful with these plants around pets. However, they would have to consume large amounts to be severely harmed.
An interesting characteristic of many oxalis species is the movement of their leaves in response to light levels. They open in bright light and close at night or when the day is overcast. These nyctinastic or sleep movements are due to rhythmic changes in turgor pressure within some leaf cells. These changes are tied to a built-in circadian clock in the plant. It is obvious why it is adaptive for the leaves to open horizontally during the day to capture more sunlight. However, the value of folding at night is still unknown. Hypotheses have suggested greater protection against nocturnal herbivorous insects or even decreasing the effect of moonlight on the setting of the plant’s biological clock. Regardless of the reason, it’s fun to watch the leaves very slowly unfurl each morning!
Reference Image
We’ll get started with out clover leaf drawing in just a minute but let’s take the time to study our reference to make it easier to draw this on our own.
For this clover leaf, there are exactly 3 leaves that looks similar to the shape of a heart that is connected to a stem.
The leaves are also a much darker green whereas the stem is light green. If you look a bit closer, there are also tiny veins on each leaf.
Now that we have a basic understanding of the structure of the drawing, we can finally begin.
Steps For Drawing A Clover Leaf
Step 1
To begin this drawing, start by drawing a simple heart shape as I have done here. You’ll then want to separate the leaf by drawing a straight line down the center of the heart.
Step 2
On the right hand side, you’ll want to draw another heart shape with a line down the middle connecting it to the first leaf your had drawn in the previous step.
Step 3
Once you have done that, you’ll want to draw another heart leaf shape on the left hand side titling it slightly so that the overall shape looks curved. Ensure that your lines for each leaf join together in the center.
Step 4
And here are the last final stages of your drawing. You’ll want to include two lines done that are slightly more curved and this will be the stem of the clover leaf.
If you are not planning to color in this drawing, then be sure to include the tiny details such as the veins on each leaf.
Final Drawing
Doesn’t this clover leaf drawing look cute? To color in the drawing, you’ll want to make the leaves a darker shade of green and the stem a shade lighter, as we have analyzed from the reference earlier.
If you have not outlined the veins in black as yet, I would recommend drawing them in a really light shade of green ink or a white pen with the use of thin lines.
