Some scientists at the University of Georgia are working on what sounds like a kind of goofy project: making ornamental clovers. They swear they’re very pretty plants – lush green, with red and white markings. And they fix nitrogen, so they could help fertilize your garden, too. The Georgia team has actually bred three ornamental varieties, called Patchwork Quilt, Irish Mist, and Pistachio Ice Cream, which they’ve turned over to the university to commercialize. So keep an eye out for these to plant in your garden.

In the course of all this breeding, the team has been working on mapping genes for different traits – including the four-leaf trait. This turned out to be really tricky. So, there’s a gene for four leaves. But just because a plant has a gene doesn’t mean it’s always turned on. (You have a ton of genes for making digestive enzymes. The cells that line your small intestines turn these genes on, but you should be pretty grateful that the cells that line your eyeball don’t.) The four-leaf trait comes and goes depending on the season, for example. It’s also recessive. If you want to map it, you need a grad student who’s willing to spend a few years crawling around on her hands and knees counting leaves.

I wrote about that grad student, and the four-leaf gene, for the July 9 issue of Science magazine – but you have to have a subscription to read my story. (Or if you e-mail me and ask nicely, I’ll send it to you.)

Photo: came with the press release. I can’t find a credit for it.