<P> The four - leaf clover is a rare variation of the common three - leaf clover . According to tradition, such clovers bring good luck, though it is not clear when or how that tradition got started . The earliest mention of "Fower - leafed or purple grasse" is from 1640 and simply says that it was kept in gardens because it was "good for the purples in children or others". A description from 1869 says that four - leaf clovers were "gathered at night - time during the full moon by sorceresses, who mixed it with vervain and other ingredients, while young girls in search of a token of perfect happiness made quest of the plant by day". The first reference to luck might be from an 11 - year - old girl, who wrote in an 1877 letter to St. Nicholas Magazine, "Did the fairies ever whisper in your ear, that a four - leaf clover brought good luck to the finder?" </P> <P> It is claimed that there are approximately 10,000 three - leaf clovers for every four - leaf clover . However, an actual survey of over 5 million clovers found the real frequency to be closer to 1 in 5000 . </P>

Where did four leaf clover superstition come from
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