A biennial or triennial plant with a branched stem. The leaves are trifoliate, on long petioles; the inflorescence is a head, with red flowers. The calyx is bell-shaped and hairy in the throat, while the corolla is fused at the base with the stamen tube; there are 9 fused stamens and 1 free. The fruit is a small, one-seeded pod. It grows in meadows throughout the territory of the Soviet Union.
The flower heads, Flores Trifolii, are harvested. It is used in decoctions for coughs and as a diuretic.
In this species, as well as in cultivated red clover — Trifolium sativum Grome and creeping or white clover — Trifolium repens L., derivatives of isoflavones, coumarins — coumestrol, biochanin and related compounds have been found, which possess estrogenic properties, as well as vitamin E, carotene, and coumaric acid.