Burke: Trifolium macrocephalum vs. Trifolium pratense

	Trifolium macrocephalum	Trifolium pratense
	big-head clover, large-head clover	red clover
Habit	Pubescent perennial from a thick root and rhizomes, the stems erect, 1-3 dm. tall.	Soft-hairy, short-lived perennial from a taproot, the several stems 3-10 dm. tall.
Leaves	Leaves with 5-9 leaflets, these rather thick, oblanceolate to obcordate, 1.5-2.5 cm. long; stipules ovate-lanceolate, their margins lacerate.	Leaves trifoliate, leaflets lanceolate to oblong-obovate, 2-6 cm. long, faintly serrulate; stipules ovate-lanceolate, 1-3 cm. long, with prominent greenish veins.
Flowers	Heads mostly solitary and terminal, 3-5 cm. broad and long, the peduncles exceeding the leaves; flowers 22-28 mm. long, pale pinkish to rose-pink, spreading to erect, the pedicels very short; calyx 2/3 as long as the corolla, the 5 teeth awl-shaped, plumose, many times as long as the tube.	Heads terminal, sessile or with peduncles shorter than the 2 subtending leaves, 50- to 200-flowered, globose-conic, 2.5-3.5 cm. long and wide; flowers spreading to erect, deep red, 13-20 mm. long; calyx over half as long as the corolla, short-hairy, the 5 teeth with a needle-like tip; the 2 upper teeth about equal to the tube, the 3 lower twice as long.
Fruits	Pod 1-seeded.	Pod 2-seeded.

	Trifolium macrocephalum	Trifolium pratense
Flowering time	April-June	June-August
Habitat	Shrub-steppe, sagebrush desert and ponderosa pine woodlands.	Escaped from cultivation; found along mountain trails where horses have been used
Distribution	Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Washington, south through eastern Oregon, east to Idaho and Nevada. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	Widely distributed on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east across North America to the Atlantic Coast. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Native	Introduced from Europe
Conservation status	Not of concern	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	T. albopurpureum, T. arvense, T. aureum, 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. 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. aureum, 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. repens, T. resupinatum, T. retusum, T. striatum, T. subterraneum, T. suffocatum, T. thompsonii, T. variegatum, T. vesiculosum, T. willdenovii, T. wormskioldii
Web links	Local floras: CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Trifolium macrocephalum

Trifolium pratense

big-head clover, large-head clover

red clover

Habit

Pubescent perennial from a thick root and rhizomes, the stems erect, 1-3 dm. tall.

Soft-hairy, short-lived perennial from a taproot, the several stems 3-10 dm. tall.

Leaves

Leaves with 5-9 leaflets, these rather thick, oblanceolate to obcordate, 1.5-2.5 cm. long;

stipules ovate-lanceolate, their margins lacerate.

Leaves trifoliate, leaflets lanceolate to oblong-obovate, 2-6 cm. long, faintly serrulate;

stipules ovate-lanceolate, 1-3 cm. long, with prominent greenish veins.

Flowers

Heads mostly solitary and terminal, 3-5 cm. broad and long, the peduncles exceeding the leaves;

flowers 22-28 mm. long, pale pinkish to rose-pink, spreading to erect, the pedicels very short;

calyx 2/3 as long as the corolla, the 5 teeth awl-shaped, plumose, many times as long as the tube.

Heads terminal, sessile or with peduncles shorter than the 2 subtending leaves, 50- to 200-flowered, globose-conic, 2.5-3.5 cm. long and wide;

flowers spreading to erect, deep red, 13-20 mm. long;

calyx over half as long as the corolla, short-hairy, the 5 teeth with a needle-like tip; the 2 upper teeth about equal to the tube, the 3 lower twice as long.

Fruits

Pod 1-seeded.

Pod 2-seeded.