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foothill clover

smallhead clover

Habit Plants annual, erect, 5–50 cm, glabrous or sparsely hairy; branched. Plants annual, erect to ascending, 3–55 cm, densely to sparsely pubescent; branched.
Leaves

palmate;

leaflets 3, elliptic to oblong or obovate, 8–35 × 5–15 mm, bases cuneate;

margins serrate proximally, obscurely denticulate distally;

veins thickened;

tips usually rounded or retuse, rarely acute;

surfaces glabrous;

petioles 10–130 mm;

petiolules ~0.5 mm;

stipules ovate-lanceolate, 10–15 mm;

margins entire, sometimes ciliate;

tips acuminate.

palmate;

leaflets 3, oblanceolate, obovate, or obcordate, 4–17 × 3–11 mm, bases cuneate;

margins setose, often dentate distally;

veins fine or slightly thickened;

tips usually retuse, rarely rounded;

surfaces villous;

petioles 10–50 mm;

petiolules 0.5 mm;

stipules obliquely ovate, 4–12 mm;

margins entire or slightly serrate;

tips acuminate.

Inflorescences

axillary or terminal, 10–30-flowered; ovoid becoming subglobose, 7–22 × 5–20 mm;

involucres a narrow, membranous, dentate rim; ~0.5 mm;

bracteoles linear or cup-shaped; ? 1 mm.

axillary or terminal, 10–40-flowered, globose, 5–13 × 4–12 mm;

involucres flattened or bowl-shaped;

bracts ± connate, 4–10 mm, conspicuously villous;

lobes 5–12, divided ½ their length, lanceolate-ovate, acuminate; entire or slightly toothed proximally; when flattened laterally nearly completely hiding calyces;

bracteoles absent.

Peduncles

25–120 mm.

10–80 mm.

Pedicels

erect but becoming reflexed, 0.5–6 mm.

absent.

Flowers

6–13 mm;

calyces broadly campanulate, 5–11 mm, glabrous;

veins 10;

tubes 1–5 mm;

lobes elliptic to linear, unequal;

margins hyaline, markedly ciliate, dentate or pectinate; sinuses narrow;

orifices open;

corollas 5–13 mm, white, pink, or purple;

banners broadly ovate, 6–13 × 4–7 mm;

tips rounded, apiculate.

4–6 mm;

calyces campanulatetubular, 3–5.5 mm, pubescent;

veins 10;

tubes 1.8–2.5 mm;

lobes triangular-aristate; ± equal;

margins hyaline; wavy;

orifices open;

corollas 4–6 mm; ? calyces, white or pink to lavender;

banners oblong, 3–6 × 1–2 mm;

tips emarginate.

Fruits

longitudinally dehiscent; ovoid, 5–10 mm; < 2 × as long as calyces; short-stipitate.

broadly ellipsoid, 1.5–2 mm.

Seeds

1–2; ovoid, 2.5–3 mm, brown, mottled; smooth.

1, oblong, 1.5 mm, yellow; reddish mottled; smooth.

2n

=16.

=16.

Trifolium ciliolatum

Trifolium microcephalum

Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Oak-pine chaparral, meadows, roadsides. Flowering May–Jun. 50–800 m. Col, ECas, Sisk, WV. CA, WA; south to Mexico. Native.

Meadows, roadsides, streambanks, forest clearings, grassy slopes. Flowering Apr–Aug. 0–2000 m. All ecoregions except Lava. CA, ID, NV, WA; north to AK, northeast to MT, southeast to AZ, south to Mexico. Native.

Trifolium microcephalum is common in much of its range in California, north into Oregon, and is rare in much of the rest of its range. It is closely allied with and greatly resembles the Chilean species T. vernum (Ellison et al. 2006), from which it is distinguished by its shorter calyx lobes (Zohary & Heller 1984).

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 725
Michael Vincent
Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 734
Michael Vincent
Sibling taxa
T. albopurpureum, T. angustifolium, T. appendiculatum, T. arvense, T. aureum, T. barbigerum, T. beckwithii, T. bifidum, T. breweri, T. campestre, T. cernuum, T. cyathiferum, T. depauperatum, T. dichotomum, T. douglasii, T. dubium, T. echinatum, T. eriocephalum, T. fragiferum, T. fucatum, T. glomeratum, T. gymnocarpon, T. hirtum, T. howellii, T. hybridum, T. incarnatum, T. latifolium, T. leibergii, T. longipes, T. macraei, T. macrocephalum, T. microcephalum, T. microdon, T. obtusiflorum, T. oliganthum, T. owyheense, T. plumosum, T. pratense, T. productum, T. repens, T. resupinatum, T. retusum, T. siskiyouense, T. striatum, T. subterraneum, T. suffocatum, T. tomentosum, T. variegatum, T. vesiculosum, T. willdenovii, T. wormskioldii
T. albopurpureum, T. angustifolium, T. appendiculatum, T. arvense, T. aureum, T. barbigerum, T. beckwithii, T. bifidum, T. breweri, T. campestre, T. cernuum, T. ciliolatum, T. cyathiferum, T. depauperatum, T. dichotomum, T. douglasii, T. dubium, T. echinatum, T. eriocephalum, T. fragiferum, T. fucatum, T. glomeratum, T. gymnocarpon, T. hirtum, T. howellii, T. hybridum, T. incarnatum, T. latifolium, T. leibergii, T. longipes, T. macraei, T. macrocephalum, T. microdon, T. obtusiflorum, T. oliganthum, T. owyheense, T. plumosum, T. pratense, T. productum, T. repens, T. resupinatum, T. retusum, T. siskiyouense, T. striatum, T. subterraneum, T. suffocatum, T. tomentosum, T. variegatum, T. vesiculosum, T. willdenovii, T. wormskioldii
Web links