According to the Jargon File, smoking clover is a computer display hack,[1] originally created by Bill Gosper.
The color map is then repeatedly rotated.
The result of this is a rainbow-hued, shimmering four-leaf clover.
The program has been described as "psychedelic", and Gosper joked about keeping it a secret from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) due to its "hallucinogenic properties".
Source code for Linux to reproduce the effect is available on the web.