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foothill clover

springbank clover

Habit Plants annual, erect, 5–50 cm, glabrous or sparsely hairy; branched. Plants perennial, erect, ascending, or decumbent, 10–40 cm, glabrous; branched; roots not tuberous, rhizomes elongate.
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, obovate to elliptic, 4–42 × 2–13 mm, bases cuneate or rounded;

margins spinulose-serrate;

veins fine or thickened distally;

tips usually acute to rounded, sometimes retuse or mucronate;

surfaces glabrous;

petioles 10–110 mm;

petiolules ~0.5 mm;

stipules ovate to lanceolate, 15–20 mm;

margins entire (proximal stipules), lacerate (distal stipules);

tips acute to 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, 20–50-flowered, subglobose or globose, 18–25 × 20–25 mm;

involucres broadly bowl-shaped;

bracts ± connate, divided ?–½ their length, 12–20 mm;

lobes > 10, sharply and acutely serrate;

veins prominent;

bracteoles linear or ovate, 1–2 mm.

Peduncles

25–120 mm.

15–110 mm.

Pedicels

erect but becoming reflexed, 0.5–6 mm.

straight, 1.5–2 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.

odor somewhat unpleasant, 12–14 mm;

calyces tubular, 5–6 mm; whitish, glabrous;

veins 10;

tubes 2–3 mm;

lobes subequal; ? tube, rarely longer, green to purple;

orifices open;

corollas 10–12 mm, usually magenta to purple, rarely white or bicolored;

banners ovate-oblong, 12–14 × 0.2–0.3 mm;

tips truncate or rounded, slightly retuse.

Fruits

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

oblong, 2–4 mm.

Seeds

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

3–4, subglobose or mitten-shaped; ~1.5 mm, brown, sometimes mottled; smooth.

2n

=16.

=16, 32.

Trifolium ciliolatum

Trifolium wormskioldii

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.

Saline flats, beaches, meadows, grassy areas, alluvial soil. Flowering May–Oct. 0–2300 m. All ecoregions. CA, ID, NV, WA; north to British Columbia, east to WY, southeast to CO and NM, south to Mexico. Native.

Trifolium wormskioldii, a largely tetraploid species, is widespread in western North America. Distinguishing T. wormski­oldii from closely allied species (especially T. mucronatum) is sometimes difficult, which led Barneby (1989) to synonymize T. mucronatum and T. pinetorum under the former name. However, Trifolium wormskioldii produces long white rhizomes, while T. mucronatum produces only short rhizomes at most, often only small, fibrous roots or taproots (Gillett 1980). While the distinction of T. pinetorum from T. wormskioldii was supported by Ellison et al. (2006), material of T. mucronatum was not included in their DNA analyses, leaving the relationships murky.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 725
Michael Vincent
Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 740
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. 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
Synonyms Trifolium fimbriatum, Trifolium wormskioldii var. wormskioldii, Trifolium wormskjoldii
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