The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

foothill clover, tree clover

golden clover, greater hop clover, yellow clover

Habit Mostly glabrous annual with several decumbent to erect stems 1.5-5 dm. long. Pubescent to glabrous annual or biennial usually with several erect or ascending stems 2-5 dm. tall.
Leaves

Leaves alternate, trifoliate;

stipules 1-2.5 cm. long, with entire, acuminate tips;

leaflets oblong-elliptic to oblanceolate or broader, 1-3.5 cm. long, finely denticulate the entire length, the teeth needle-like.

Leaves trifoliate, leaflets oblong-elliptic to oblanceolate, 1-3 cm. long, sub-sessile, serrulate 2/3 their length;

stipules narrow, 10-18 mm. long, attached to the petiole over half their length, the free portion acuminate.

Flowers

Inflorescence of 10- to 50-flowered heads, the heads axillary as well as terminal, 1-2 cm. long, subglobose, without an involucre;

flowers white to purplish, 6-12 mm. long, erect but becoming reflexed as the pedicles elongate to up to 6 mm.;

calyx glabrous, about equal to the corolla, the tube 10-veined, the 5 teeth fringed, 2-3 times as long as the tube, the upper 2 much the longest.

Inflorescence of 30- to 100-flowered heads, 10-16 mm. thick, on axillary peduncles longer than the leaves;

flowers 5-7 mm. long, yellow, pea-like;

calyx glabrous, half the length of the corolla, the upper 2 teeth about half as long as the lower 3, the latter slightly longer than the calyx tube;

banner flared and spreading, much longer than the wings and keel.

Fruits

Pod 1-seeded

Pod 1-seeded, equal to the attached style.

Trifolium ciliolatum

Trifolium aureum

Flowering time April-June June-September
Habitat Wet meadows to rather dry, sandy soil. Roadsides, fields, lawns, railways, wastelots, and other disturbed open sites.
Distribution
Occurring east of the Cascades crest in south-central Washington; south-central Washington to California.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Occurring chiefly west of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to Montana and Wyoming; also occurring in most of eastern North America.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Origin Native Introduced
Conservation status Not of concern Not of concern
Sibling taxa
T. albopurpureum, T. arvense, T. aureum, T. bifidum, T. campestre, T. cernuum, T. cyathiferum, T. depauperatum, T. dichotomum, T. douglasii, T. dubium, T. eriocephalum, T. fragiferum, T. glomeratum, T. gracilentum, T. hirtum, T. hybridum, T. incarnatum, T. latifolium, T. longipes, T. macrocephalum, T. microcephalum, T. microdon, T. oliganthum, T. plumosum, T. pratense, T. repens, T. resupinatum, T. retusum, T. striatum, T. subterraneum, T. suffocatum, T. thompsonii, T. variegatum, T. vesiculosum, T. willdenovii, T. wormskioldii
T. albopurpureum, T. arvense, T. bifidum, T. campestre, T. cernuum, T. ciliolatum, T. cyathiferum, T. depauperatum, T. dichotomum, T. douglasii, T. dubium, T. eriocephalum, T. fragiferum, T. glomeratum, T. gracilentum, T. hirtum, T. hybridum, T. incarnatum, T. latifolium, T. longipes, T. macrocephalum, T. microcephalum, T. microdon, T. oliganthum, T. plumosum, T. pratense, T. repens, T. resupinatum, T. retusum, T. striatum, T. subterraneum, T. suffocatum, T. thompsonii, T. variegatum, T. vesiculosum, T. willdenovii, T. wormskioldii
Web links