Trifolium pratense L. belongs to section Trifolium and is a secondary wild relative of the cultivated crop crimson clover (T. incarnatum L.), as well as a primary wild relative of cultivated T. pratense (USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program 2010).

It has eight subspecies that are native to Europe: T. pratense ssp. baeticum (Boiss.) C. Vicioso, T. pratense ssp. expansum (Waldst. & Kit.) Hausskn., T. pratense ssp. kotulae (Pawl.) Soják, T. pratense ssp. maritimum (Zabel) Rothm., T. pratense ssp. nivale (W.D.J. Koch) Arcang., T. pratense L. ssp. pratense, T. pratense ssp. sativum (Schreb.) Schübl. & G.Martens, and T. pratense ssp. semipurpureum (Strobl) Pignatti. There are a further four varieties of T. pratense that are native to Europe: T. pratense var. americanum Harz, T. pratense var. frigidum Gaudin, var. T. pratense maritimum Zabel, and T. pratense var. pratense.

Trifolium pratense is listed as Least Concern. It is widespread and known to occur in protected areas and Botanical Gardens worldwide. It is appreciated as a cultivated plant, for food and medicinal uses.

This species is distributed worldwide. It is native in Eurasia and northern Africa and widely naturalized in temperate regions. It has been introduced in experimental nurseries in Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

The population size of the species is not known.

Trifolium patulum is a perennial herb which occurs in rocky woodland and scrub. It has been reported from very steep mountainsides and in association with Abies, Acer pseudoplatanus, Carpinus betulus, Coronilla, Corylus avellana, Cotinus cogygria, Fraxinus ornus and Juniperus oxycedrus.

There are no known major threats to this species.

The young leaves are harvested before the plant comes into flower, and are used in salads, soups etc. On their own they can be used as a vegetable, cooked like spinach (Launert 1981). The seeds are reported as containing trypsin inhibitors (Duke and Ayensu 1984). These can interfere with certain enzymes that help in the digestion of proteins, but are normally destroyed once the seed has sprouted. Red clover is safe and effective herb with a long history of medicinal usage.

It is known to occur in protected areas throughout its range. Seeds have been collected as part of the Millennium Seed Bank project and by the United States National Plant Germplasm System Collection. There are 45 collections in Botanical Gardens worldwide.