Thanks for the elucidation of the shamrock question, and the origin of the word. As a botanist, though, I can't let slide the reference to Trifolium as a family. It is a genus name in the Fabaceae family. Later in the the article, Oxalis is identified as a genus, so I don't think there is a reluctance to use scientific terms in an article for the general reader. As an aside, there are over 20 Oxalis species that are native to North America and the US. Also, while Trifolium repens can now be found throughout North America and it "...outcompetes foreign weeds..." in lawns, it is actually an introduced species, a foreign weed. It is not native to North America.
Thanks for the elucidation of the shamrock question, and the origin of the word. As a botanist, though, I can't let slide the reference to Trifolium as a family. It is a genus name in the Fabaceae family. Later in the the article, Oxalis is identified as a genus, so I don't think there is a reluctance to use scientific terms in an article for the general reader. As an aside, there are over 20 Oxalis species that are native to North America and the US. Also, while Trifolium repens can now be found throughout North America and it "...outcompetes foreign weeds..." in lawns, it is actually an introduced species, a foreign weed. It is not native to North America.