Large Hop Trefoil is a small erect herbaceous biennial plant growing to 10-30 cm tall.

This species is very closely related to Large Hop Trefoil (Trifolium aureum).

Hop trefoil is the third most important clover in agriculture because its foliage is good for feeding livestock and replenishing soil.

The closely related Hop Trefoil (T. campestre) is a similar, but shorter, spreading, species with smaller leaves and flowers.

Lady's bed straw, bell heather, meadow vetchling, silver weed, eye bright, rest harrow, hop trefoil, cut-leaved cranes bill, rock sea spurry, crow garlic.

Trifolium aureum, known by the various common names Large Hop Trefoil, large trefoil large hop clover, Golden clover or Hop clover, is a species of clover native to much of Eurasia.

Trifolium campestre, commonly known as Hop Trefoil and Low Hop Clover, is a species of clover native to Europe and western Asia, growing in most areas, but specifically thriving on dry, sandy grassland habitats, as well as in fields, woodland margins, roadsides, wastelands and cultivated land.

Threlkeld identifies the shamrock as White Field Clover (Trifolium pratense album ) and comments rather acerbically on the custom of wearing the shamrock on St. Patrick's Day:

The Irish botanist Caleb Threlkeld, writing in 1726 in his work entitled Synopsis Stirpium Hibernicarum or A Treatise on Native Irish Plants followed Gerard in identifying the shamrock as Trifolium pratense, calling it White Field Clover.