25 Four Leaf Clovers Facts You May Not Know

Four leaf clover is the world’s most well recognized good luck symbol. Here are 25 facts you may not know about the popular Four leaf clover.

1. A Four Leaf Clover is actually an mutation of the shamrock (a clover with just three-leaf), it can only happen in approximately 1 in 10,000 shamrocks.
2. Lucky clover, rabbit’s foot, and horseshoes are the most common good luck charms of North America.
3. According to Irish legend, St. Patrick used the Shamrock’s three leaves to teach the pagans about Christianity. It symbolized the Holy Trinity with each leaf representing the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. When it’s found with the additional fourth leaf, it represents God’s Grace.
4. The Largest clover collection is by George J. Kaminski (b. 1951) who has single-handily collected 72,927 mutated Clovers since 1995. They were collected from fields within prison grounds in Pennsylvania, USA.
5. The new world record for the Most Clovers Found in the Fastest Time is May 20th, 2010 by John Christian Stokes, 10, who found three within 20 minutes while playing with his brother outside his home in Dickson. The world record was sponsored by USA Laboratories, Inc. Burns, TN.
6. The Guinness world record for the largest collection of clovers belongs to Edward Martin Sr. from Cooper Landing, Alaska, USA, with 111,060 lucky clovers, as of May 2007, which he has been collecting since 1999.
7. On March 17th, 2010, Fox News reported “Irish Shamrock Shortage Has St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations on Shaky Ground”, and since there is only one lucky lover in every 10,000 shamrocks, this makes the lucky clover almost impossible to find.
8. Steve Colbert was quoted on March 17th, 2010, “That the shamrock represent the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit “That is why the Four Leaf Clover is so Lucky… You Get a Bonus Jesus”
9. “The world record for the most leaves on a clover stem is 18 and was discovered by Shigeo Obara of Hanamaki City, Iwate, Japan on May 25, 2002. ” Guinness World Records 2010
10. A 21-leaf clover discovered on June 3, 2008 by Iwate prefecture farmer Shigeo Obara and has shattered the Guinness world record for most leaves on a clover stem.
11. A shamrock is considered to be a young clover. Clovers are in the same family as peas.
12. “The Cloverleaf Interchange” is named for the resemblance of the 4 leaves pattern when viewed from air” – Wikipedia
13. The lucky clover has been successfully cultivated. There are clover with more than five leaflets, but they are extremely rare. It’s generally thought that more leafs; the luckier it is.
14. “A best friend is like a Four Leaf Clover: hard to find and lucky to have.” -Sarah Jessica Parker of popular TV show “sex in the city”.
15. Children in the Middle Ages believed that they could see fairies if they found a lucky clover.
16. It’s good luck to find a lucky clover. Clover protects human beings and animals from the spell of magicians and the wiles of fairies, and it brings good luck to those who keep it in the house.
17. It is believed that finding a lucky clover will bring you fame, health, wealth and a faithful relationship.
18. According to legend of western cultures, each of the 4 leafs represent hope, faith, love and luck.
19. The late US President, Abraham Lincoln, was said to have carried a lucky clover everyday except on the night of his infamous visit to Ford’s Theater the day he was assassinated.
20. The late French Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte escaped assassination when he stooping down to pick up a “Lucky Four Leaf Clover”.
21. The lucky clover is one of the most popular tattoo themes for body art. It represent “good luck” or an Irish pride or ancestry. It is often interchangeable with shamrock.
22. Youth organization 4 H Club using a green lucky clover with a white H on each leaf standing for Head, Heart, Hands, and Health. The white symbolizes purity and the green represents growth.
23. The French Lotto logo is a 4 leaf clover icon for good luck.
24. There are several popular song recorded with the titled – four leaf clover. Artist includes: Abra Moore, Badly Drawn Boy,, Erykah Badu and Stryper all have songs written about the this good luck charm.
25. Metallica an American heavy metal band recorded “NO LEAF CLOVER” in 1999 as opposite the meaning of “Four Leaf Clover”, the song lyrics describe an unexpected change from good luck to bad.