The origins of an Irish Shamrock has a long and clouded history.
The four-leafed clover makes its grand return for a one-off special to celebrate St Patrick's Day. Its legacy however remains all year long with the world revelling in the opportunity of coming across one in their day-to-day lives, citing its lucky properties.
By historical definition, a four leaf clover is not a shamrock. All shamrocks are three-leafed. Four-leaf clovers are rare in a garden since most clovers are three-leafed.
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The luck of the Irish is only granted to the four-leaved variant with the reason for it coming into existence sourced to a genetic anomaly.
What Makes a Four-Leaf Clover Lucky?
A four-leaf clover came into existence due to a mix-up in its core DNA, essentially sprouting another leaf for whatever reason. The origin of four-leaf clovers bringing good luck stems from ancient Celtic, or Druid, priests. They elevated the rarer four-leaf clovers to the status of good luck charms that warded against evil spirits.
Why are Shamrocks used during St. Patrick's Day?
Shamrocks are tied to the Roman Catholic religion, and St. Patrick was Ireland's missionary, bishop, and patron saint. The three leaves are said to represent the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Irish legend states that St. Patrick demonstrated the principle behind the Trinity using a shamrock, pointing to its three leaflets united by a common stalk. What is unclear is what plant he might have been holding.
It's still unknown today what plant St Patrick was held to demonstrate the Trinity as there is no authoritative version of the shamrock plant. The five speculated are:
- Lesser trefoil, or hop clover (Trifolium dubium)
- White clover (Trifolium repens)
- Red clover (Trifolium pratense)
- Black medic or medick (Medicago lupulina)
- Wood sorrel: (Oxalis acetosella)
Various members of the Oxalis genus, with common names like purple shamrocks (Oxalis triangularis) and wood sorrel (Oxalis Montana), are sold as shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day. These clover look-alikes are unrelated to clover but are more easily cultivated as houseplants than real clover.
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