Clover lawn

A clover lawn is composed of clover and can be used as an alternative to grass lawns. It requires less maintenance than a traditional lawn, uses less water,^[1][2] is more heat tolerant,^[3] and fixes its own nitrogen using symbiotic bacteria in its root nodules, removing the need to fertilize. It is less robust to foot traffic than grass, and can stain clothes if bruised. Clover can be oversown on grass if some grass in the lawn is acceptable. If the variety chosen doesn't self-seed efficiently in-place, it may need resowing every few years.^[4] If grown continually, it may be susceptible to clover sickness.

White clover is the plant most frequently used,^[5] sometimes in dwarf cultivars such as Pirouette and Pipolina.^[4] Red clover is also used,^[6] but is less resistant to treading, cropping, and disease, and need more frequent reseeding.^[7] Tall crimson or incarnate clover, and shorter, more shade-tolerant strawberry clover, are also used.^[4]

There are 240 species of true clover, most of which are native to Eurasia, but some of which are naturally found in parts of Africa and the Americas.^[8] Clover is traditionally used as a field crop, so there are many commercial cultivars. Many clover species have been introduced to areas in which they are not native,^[7] where they displace native species, so native alternatives are recommended for cultivation.^[9]