By: Melissa Zhao

A 63 leaf clover grown by a gardener in Japan named Yoshiharu Watanabe has just broken a Guinness World Record and surpassed the original record by seven leaves. The previous record, set by Shigeo Obara of Hanamaki city, had stood strong for 15 years!

Watanabe has been aiming to beat the world record for many years now in his own home garden in Nasushiobara, Japan.

Yoshiharu has many clover patches around his garden, as when he saw clovers with four, five, or more leaves in fields or parks, he would take them home to add to his garden in his home. After a few years of growing the clovers and leaving them to prosper on their own, he found a twenty leaved clover in his garden, and hopes of surpassing the original world record reached him.

Not only would Yoshiharu Watanabe leave the clovers to pollinate themselves in the fresh air, he also would find the clovers with the most leaves and hand pollinate them in hopes to get the most leaves possible. In 2020, he managed to grow a 49 leaf clover, and in 2021, he was almost on the same bar as the original world record with a 55 leaf clover.

When he found the clover that is now a world record, Yoshiharu Watanabe estimated it to be 56 leaves or more, so when he found it to surpass 60 leaves, it was a shocking surprise. It took a long time for him to count all the leaves, as the clover’s leaves are slightly smaller, but when he was finally done with counting them, he raised the bar to the next level with a 63 leaf clover.

Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/c511en9d90jo