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The four-leaf clover is a rare variation of the common three-leaf clover that has four leaflets instead of three. According to traditional sayings, such clovers bring good luck,[1] a belief that dates back to at least the 17th century. The earliest example of this idea may be from the 1620 play Astologaster, by Sir John Melton. The 1640 Theatrum Botanicum mentions a "fower-leafed or purple grasse" that was kept in gardens because it was "good for the purples in children or others".[2]
The term four-leaf is botanically a misnomer, as cloverplants have multiple leaves (multiple clovers), each consisting of a varying number of leaflets, typically three.
- ^ Harry Oliver (2010). Black Cats & 4-leaf Clovers: The Origins of Old Wives' Tales and Superstitions in Our Everyday Lives (reprint ed.). Penguin. ISBN 9781101442814.
- ^ Parkinson J. 1640. Theatrum Botanicum: The Theater of Plants or An Herball of Large Extent. Tho. Cotes. Publisher, London, Pp 1110-1112.