Trefoil.
Botanical name:
Trifolium Purpureum.
A common wild plant in our meadows. It is eight inches high; the stalk is round, and not very upright; the principal leaves rise immediately from the root; they stand three together upon long foot stalks, and are of an oval figure, but pointed; of a pale green colour, a little hairy, and have generally a white spot in the centre of each. The leaves on the stalks, are of the same form, but little: the flowers stand at the tops, in a kind of short, thick, spikes; they are small and red, and are followed by little flat pods.
The flowers are used; they are best fresh gathered, and given in infusion. They are good against the bleeding of the piles; and while they are balsamic and astringent in the bowels, they work by urine.
