These green leaves are greatly associated with St. Patrick’s Day and are considered to be a lucky charm.Four-leaf clovers are more commonly known as white clover, their scientific name being Trifolium repens. The term ‘Trifolium’ means ’three’ and the literal meaning of the entire term is ‘a trio of leaves’.In Ireland, three-leaf clovers are highly honored and they are in fact considered as the unofficial national flower of the country of Ireland. The history behind this belief goes back to Saint Patrick who apparently used a shamrock to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity to non-believers. A clover is considered as a shamrock only when it has three leaves. The three-leaf clover is the most common of all types. A four-leaf clover, on the other hand, is believed to be found quite rarely, going by the odds. You can find one four-leafed clover in 10,000 clovers. The odds seem staggering but what might surprise you is, even though they are so rare to find, is that they are found in bulks wherever they grow. The most notable reason behind the rare occurrence of four-leaf clovers is that the genes responsible for producing four-leaf clovers are recessive. All the four leaves need to have the same gene if the plant is to grow a four-leaf clover. However, this is a pretty rare phenomenon and we do not see many four-leaf clovers.If you enjoyed this article, why not also read about how old do chickens live and how tall is a giraffe here on Kidadl?What is a clover leaf?The odds of one in 10,000 speak leaps and bounds about how rare it is to find four-leaf clovers. There are no separate plants that produce only four-leaf clovers. Due to gene mutations, if lucky enough, you can at times spot four-leaf clovers along with a three-leafed clover and you won’t fail to notice that the fourth leaf on a four-leaf clover is usually smaller than the other three. The rarity of this kind and no separate plant make it so hard to find, and perhaps, this is the reason behind a four-leaf clover being considered as a sign of good luck.We have talked about four-leaf clovers and how lucky they are but what exactly is a clover leaf? The clover leaf is a part of the clover plant which is the common name for all the plants belonging to the Trifolium genes. There are roughly 300 different species of plants that fall under these genes. These clover plants are used as fodder plants and can be mostly seen in the Northern Hemisphere but some of these plants can also be spotted in South America and Africa. The white clover is the most commonly grown and popular plant falling under this species. Even though a lot of people grow these plants along with ryegrass, the most efficient way by which clovers get pollinated is by bumblebees. People consider the four-leaf clovers of this plant to be lucky charms due to their low probability of being spotted but do you know five and six-leaf clovers exist as well! Interestingly, they are even rarer than four-leaf clovers. Some people believe the five-leaf clover, which commonly goes by the name of rose clover, to be the rarest of all and something special to have.How rare are five and six-leaf clovers?Finding five and six-leaf clovers are even more difficult than finding four-leaf clovers. All of these clovers which have more than three leaves, whether it is four or five or six or even more, belong to the white clover family. Interestingly, none of these clovers grow on a separate plant of their own, they grow due to mutations in their genes along with a three-leaf clover. The collectors of these leaves go to great lengths to find these rare natural beauties on earth, especially the ones found in Ireland. It was from Ireland that the four-leaf clovers became associated with St. Patrick’s Day and also the faith that people have about how lucky it is to have one of these.The odds of finding a five or six-leaf clover is mind-boggling. Some researchers say that odds of finding these types are close to one in a million. Yes, you heard that correctly, one in a million! Five and six-leaf clovers are considered luckier than four-leaf clovers due to the higher odds of finding them. Irish people have great faith in these rare leaves and believe that if one possesses these rare leaves, they will be receiving great financial success sooner than later. If one is in possession of four-leaf clovers and the other person with a five-leaf one, the latter is believed to have better odds of being on the receiving end of financial gains. However, at the same time, the person must work hard and that is when luck favors that person.In the case of six-leaf clovers, these too are believed to be quite lucky. Along with money and good luck, the six-leaf clover is supposed to bring love, hope, and good fortune. No wonder people all over the world and especially in Ireland are keen on getting their hand on one of these lucky charms. There is no involvement of science in these matters regarding how these leaves bring luck but the faith in people’s hearts has been living for ages. To date, the world record for the most leaves found on a clover is 56! It was found in Japan in 2009 by a person named Shigeo Obara living in Hanamaki City, Japan.What to do if you find a four-leaf clover?Who would want to turn down something which might potentially change their life? Finding a four-leafed clover is extremely difficult, they are rare and quite precious due to the beliefs attached with them. Now in case you find one of these four-leaf clovers, there is a high chance you haven’t thought about what to do with it as you never expected to find one The first thing which might come to your mind may be to preserve it for a long time to keep the luck with you forever.Although it entirely depends upon what you wish to do with your four-leaf clover in case you find one, there are various beliefs of what one must do with four-leaf clovers. Well, for starters, you can preserve this little lucky charm of yours. It is though a cumbersome process to safely store a leaf maintaining its freshness and color for several years ahead. However, if you are adamant about preserving these for a long time, you need to, first of all, flatten these leaf clovers under a heavy book that isn’t used a lot to ensure that it doesn’t get crumpled. You need to dry out the leaves, this process might take around a week or so but can possibly take even more time if you live in hot and humid conditions. You can if you want paint it with some green food color to retain its green color for a long period of time. You can only do this if you want to as sooner rather later it will naturally lose its green shade. Once the leaf is dried, you can either preserve it using non-acid clean tape or you can frame it or even laminate it. It entirely depends on how you wish to preserve your clovers. Contrary to this belief of keeping the four-leaf clover preserved for a long time, some people believe that it is best to gift these to people to pass them on. Irrespective of how lucky they are believed to be, some people think if you give it to people it might be the best thing for you.Has anybody ever found a four-leaf clover?Even though the odds of finding a four-leaf clover is one in 10,000, there are some lucky folks living in this world who have found them on multiple occasions. At the same time, there are people who think that four-leaf clovers do not even exist. People often find these leaves in their yard or in a small patch of their backyard. Additionally, there are people who aren’t collectors but have gotten their hands on four as well as five-leafed clovers.On multiple occasions, people pluck these clovers when they are young if they seem to have more than three leaves. There are high chances that if you find a four-leaf clover in a plant, there might perhaps be another one too in it. These leaflets have a habit of growing in a group, and if lucky, you can get your hands on a number of them growing right in your backyard. The probability of finding this plant might be against you, but at the same time, there are people who have found the fourth leaf in clovers on random occasions. On the other hand, there are people searching everywhere for a clover plant with four leaves but haven’t been able to spot even one. At times, you need luck when probability doesn’t favor you. By now, you must know all about four-leaf clovers, their association with St. Patrick’s day, the traditions they have along with them, and how people hope to find one someday.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for How rare are 4 leaf clovers? Odds of finding four-leaf clover, then why not take a look at How fast can a hippo swim? Can hippos swim in deep water? or How often should I floss? Oral hygiene facts for kids?
These green leaves are greatly associated with St. Patrick’s Day and are considered to be a lucky charm.
