Just how unusual is finding a clover with more than 3 leaves?

Question

I've posted this question in a different section before, but I wasn't satisfied with the number of answers I received. Therefore, I'm seeing what you science people think! :-)

Anyway, just a few days ago I found a 5-leaf clover, and it didn't even take me long to find it. My question is: Is it truly unusual to find a clover that has more than 3 leaves, or is this just a myth? In other words, are there more such clovers out there than previously assumed?

Perhaps such clovers aren't as hard to come by as previously assumed. Perhaps there are certain species of clovers which have a higher likelihood of having more than 3 leaves. Perhaps the clover weed is evolving (4 or 5 leaves are, after all, more advantageous than 3, as they can catch more sunlight) or perhaps it is because of certain toxins contained in the earth which cause mutations. I just don't know. What's your opinion?

Answer 1

From everything I've read, finding a clover with 4, 5 or even more leaves is not at all a rare thing. As you've guessed, there's nothing special about any particular number of leaves in a clover, but (as an evolutionary biologist, at that) I doubt very much that the clover is evolving for increased leaf number at the present time.

Answer 2

It's not so strange.