Which weed is distinguished by three leaflets joined together at base without stalks?

• A. White clover
• B. Mouse-ear chickweed
• C. Prostate knotweed
• D. Wood sorrel

Answer: (A)

Understanding leaf arrangement helps identify many turf weeds. White clover has trifoliate leaves where three leaflets join at a common base on a single tiny petiole, so they appear as three leaflets connected directly to one point rather than having separate stalks for each leaflet. That single-point, stalkless look is distinctive and matches the description given.

The other weeds don’t share that exact pattern. Mouse-ear chickweed has simple, opposite leaves on sprawling stems, not three leaflets from one base. Prostrate knotweed features simple leaves along a stem, not a trio of leaflets. Wood sorrel also has three leaflets, but they sit on a more noticeable leaf stalk and have a different silhouette (often heart-shaped leaflets and a more pronounced stalk), so its arrangement isn’t the same as the described three leaflets joined at the base without stalks.