Four-leaf clover is the whole plant of the spring-flowering plant Lysimachia christinae, which belongs to the Primulaceae family. It is also known as "sea green", "dragon pearls", and "nine dragon pearls". It is mainly distributed in Zhejiang, Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong, and other regions in China. So what is Four-leaf clover? And how should we use it?
Four-leaf clover is an annual or biennial herb, without hairs. It has clustered stems, branching out, with four edges, and grows to a height of 10-30 centimeters, with a slightly pale greenish-white color.
The leaves are opposite, ovate to narrowly lanceolate, measuring 1-2.5 centimeters in length and 5-15 millimeters in width. The apex is pointed or slightly blunt, the base is rounded, the margin is entire, the texture is papery, and the leaves are sessile and sheathed.
The flowers are solitary and axillary, with a pedicel measuring 2-3 centimeters in length, and no bracts. The calyx is divided into 5 linear-lanceolate segments, measuring 4-6 millimeters in length, and sharply pointed.
The corolla is usually bluish-purple, occasionally reddish, with a diameter of 1-1.3 centimeters. It has 5 lobes, inverted-ovate in shape, and often slightly pubescent along the edges. There are 5 stamens, and the filaments are hairy. The ovary is superior, hairless, and the style is thread-like.
The whole plant is wrinkled and shriveled, with stems having four edges and a diameter of approximately 1 mm. The surface is yellowish-brown and hairless. The flowers are solitary and axillary, and the calyx is often deeply divided to the base, with 5 lanceolate or fusiform segments. The corolla is pale red and deeply divided into 5 lobes.
The capsule is spherical, with a diameter of about 4 millimeters. The seeds are dark brown and densely covered with wart-like protuberances. The flowering period is from March to May.
