Sulphur Clover (Trifolium ochroleucon)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Vascular plant > flowering plant > Herbaceous plant |
| Red List Status: | Near Threatened (Not Relevant) [NT(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | Included in the baseline Red List Index for England (Wilkins, Wilson & Brown, 2022) |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Trifolium ochroleucon |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Huds. |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | in Stroh et al., 2014 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | VU in England; formerly widespread on chalky boulder clay in East Anglia but now restricted to around 400 monads mainly in Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambs, Hunts, Northants and Beds where it has declined dramatically since the 1950s due to loss and improvement of species-rich hay meadows and pastures. The vast majority of surviving populations are confined to roadside verges where they are highly susceptible to unsympathetic management (repeated cutting, mulching due to arisings being left in situ, nitrogen pollution, road improvements, etc.) |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Now a very uncommon plant of species-rich hay-meadows and pastures although some large populations remain where adequately protected and managed (e.g. Brampton Racecourse Meadow SSSI). The vast majority of surviving populations are now confined to roadside verges where they are highly susceptible to unsympathetic management (repeated cutting, mulching due to arisings being left in situ, nitrogen pollution, road improvements, etc.). Some are protected as 'Protected Roadside Verges' but these are often difficult to protect/manage appropriately. |
| Question 3: | At a landscape scale, would the species benefit from untargeted habitat management to increase habitat mosaics, structural diversity, or particular successional stages? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | This and other species of fine grassland species could be benefitted by a project to improve the management of road verges for native floristic diversity: halting cut-and-rot management and favouring appropriately timed cut and collection. The rise of electric vehicles makes this a good time to restore road verges. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 4. Autecology and pressures understood |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Medium-high |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | Whilst many sites have been well surveyed or the subject of targeted studies (Essex, Norfolk, Hunts, Cambs) further work is needed to establish its distribution. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Good management for the whole road network is required for recovery and natural functioning of verges as a resource for this and associated flora, inverts etc
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: 6-10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 100 sites
High priority sites:
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Identify key meadow sites and seek to ensure all are protected as SSSIs and appropriately managed.
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 50 sites
High priority sites:
Comments:
Acknowledgment:
Data used on this website are adapted from Threatened species recovery actions 2025 baseline (JP065): Technical report and spreadsheet user guide (Natural England, 2025). Available here.