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foothill clover

clammy clover

Habit Plants annual, erect, 5–50 cm, glabrous or sparsely hairy; branched. Plants annual, erect or ascending, 2–100 cm, resinous stipitate-glandular; 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, elliptic, lanceolate, oblanceolate, rhombic, or obovate, 15–40 × 3–17 mm, bases cuneate;

margins coarsely spinulose-serrate;

veins thickened;

tips acute, mucronate;

surfaces glandular;

petioles 15–100 mm;

petiolules ? 0.5 mm;

stipules ovate, 10–15 mm, sheathing;

margins deeply lacerate;

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, 10–50-flowered, globose or ovoid, 10–35 × 10–30 mm;

involucres flattened or bowl-shaped, divided ¼–? their length; when flattened laterally not hiding flowers except proximally, 3–8 mm, deeply lacerate;

bracteoles absent.

Peduncles

25–120 mm.

30–150 mm, glandular.

Pedicels

erect but becoming reflexed, 0.5–6 mm.

erect; ~1 mm.

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.

13–20 mm;

calyces tubular-campanulate; slit between adaxial lobes, 10–13 mm, glandular;

veins 20+;

tubes 5–7 mm;

lobes narrowly triangular or lanceolate-subulate, unequal; ? tube, usually entire, rarely 3-fid or shouldered;

orifices open;

corollas 10–18 mm, white or pale pinkish with dark purple spot;

banners broadly elliptic, 10–18 × 2–4 mm;

tips blunt.

Fruits

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

obovoid, 3.5–4 mm.

Seeds

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

1–2, ellipsoid or mitten-shaped, 2.5 mm, brown, mottled; smooth.

2n

=16.

=16.

Trifolium ciliolatum

Trifolium obtusiflorum

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.

Moist swales, creek bottoms. Flowering May–Jun. 0–100 m. Est, Sisk. CA; south to Mexico. Native.

Trifolium obtusiflorum is much less common than the similar T. willdenovii, occurring in moist areas in cismontane California and north into Oregon (Jepson 1925). It is easy to distinguish from T. willdenovii by its glandularity, which in fresh specimens causes them to be sticky to the touch.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 725
Michael Vincent
Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 735
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. microcephalum, T. microdon, 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
Synonyms Trifolium tridentatum
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