Sweet clover proving dangerous to Alaska’s natural habitat

Thu, July 31, 2008
Posted in Metro News

A seemingly innocent plant bearing delicate white flowers is posing a threat to native plants, fish and wildlife. And it’s likely blooming on a roadside near you.

Ellen Lockyer, KSKA – Matanuska-Susitna Borough

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Comments

One Response to “Sweet clover proving dangerous to Alaska’s natural habitat”

Michael Nuckols on April 14, 2009 at 4:45 pm

White clover – trifolium repens – has been in Alaska since at least the 1890s. IT IS NOT INVASIVE. The founder of Agriculture in Alaska — Georgeson, who has a garden at UAF named after him — recorded the growth of white clover in his logs in 1915. Surely, if it were truly invasive and problematic, we would have seen the negative affects in 120 years. There are invasive weed problems in Alaska — but not enough of them to feed the Army of botanists who can sustain federal funding to go after them. This is an invented threat.

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