Four-leaf clover

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The four-leaf clover is an uncommon variation of the common three-leaf clover. Traditionally it is a common activity for children to look for these and it is considered good luck to find one.

People who search for four-leafed clovers note that some patches of ground appear more likely to contain four-leafed examples and that this may be partly due to differing growing conditions such as pollution, soil composition, and other environmental factors. Clovers may have even more than four leaves. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the highest number of leaves found on a clover has been eighteen. It has been estimated that there are approximately 10,000 three-leaf clovers for every four-leaf clover.^{[citation needed]}

According to legend, each leaf of the clover represents something. The first leaf is for hope, the second leaf is for faith, the third leaf is for love, and the fourth leaf, naturally, is for luck.[1]

There is a debate as to whether the four-leaf clover is caused by genetic or environmental factors. The rarity of the four leaf clover suggests a possible recessive gene at a low frequency as the cause. Alternatively, four-leaf clovers could be caused by a somatic mutation or a developmental error of environmental causes. The condition could also be caused by the interaction of several genes that happen to segregate in the individual plant. It is possible that all four explanations could apply to individual cases.

There are companies that produce four-leaf clovers by increasing the ratio of occurrence by different means. Some other species are misleadingly sold as "four-leaf clovers"^{[citation needed]}, for example Oxalis tetraphylla, a species of wood sorrel, and Marsilea villosa, a Hawaiian fern with leaves resembling four-leaf clovers.

[edit] Connection to Ireland

Contrary to widespread belief (particularly in America), the four-leaf clover is not an emblem of Ireland. The emblem of Ireland is the shamrock, which is similar to the clover. An explanation may be the connection between the lucky four-leaf clover, and the adage "the luck of the Irish."

However, the soccer team, Celtic F.C., which has numerous historical, and contemporary, links to Ireland (especially its fanbase), does use the four-leaf clover in its emblem.

[edit] See also

4-H emblem
Rabbit's foot
Horseshoe
Cloverleaf interchange
Shamrock
quattrofolium [2]
Quatrefoil, a four-lobed structure.
Cloverleaf or Quadrifoglio badges denote variants of Alfa Romeo cars where the name denotes the high-end of the range in comfort and engine size, but previously denoted Alfa Romeo racing cars in the pre-Second-World-War era.
The four leaf clover also features on the badge of Celtic F.C.
Estonian Centre Party, Centre Party (Finland), Centre Party (Norway) and Centre Party (Sweden) all use a four-leaf clover as their logotype.