Trifolium andersonii |
Trifolium ornithopodioides |
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Anderson's clover, fiveleaf clover |
bird clover |
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Habit | Herbs perennial, 5–12 cm, canescent. | Herbs annual, 5–50 cm, glabrous or glabrescent. | ||||||||
Stems | erect-ascending, cespitose, mat-forming, branched; from deep taproot-like crown. |
procumbent, ascending, or erect, branched. |
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Leaves | palmate; stipules ovate or lanceolate, 0.5–1.5 cm, margins entire, apex long-acuminate; petiole 1–5 cm; petiolules to 0.5 mm; leaflets (3–)5, blades obovate, 0.5–2.2 × 0.2–1.2 cm, base cuneate, veins obscured by pubescence, margins entire, apex rounded or acute, apiculate, surfaces canescent. |
palmate; stipules obovate-lanceolate, 0.5–0.8 cm, margins entire, apex subulate or cuspidate; petiole 4–10 cm; petiolules 0.5 mm; leaflets 3, blades obcordate or obovate, 0.6–1 × 0.4–0.6 cm, base cuneate, veins fine, margins finely serrate, apex truncate or emarginate, surfaces glabrous. |
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Inflorescences | axillary, 10–20-flowered, depressed-globose, 1–2 × 1–2.3 cm; involucres formed of connate, narrow, membranous bracts, to 0.5 mm. |
axillary, 1–5-flowered, loose, oblong, 0.5–1.2 × 0.1–0.5 cm; involucres absent or bracteoles shallow, cuplike, ± equaling pedicels. |
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Peduncles | 1–14 cm. |
0.5–2 cm. |
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Pedicels | absent; bracteoles absent. |
straight or slightly reflexed, 1–3 mm; bracteoles lanceolate, 1 mm. |
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Flowers | 10–17 mm; calyx campanulate, 9–11 mm, pilose, veins 10, tube 4–5 mm, lobes equal, subulate, plumose, orifice open; corolla white or pink, 10–17 mm, banner ovate-oblong, 12–19 × 3–5 mm, apex rounded, retuse. |
5–10 mm; calyx campanulate, 4–4.5 mm, glabrous, veins 10, tube 2.5–3 mm, lobes unequal, triangular, orifice open; corolla pink or white, 5–9 mm, banner oblong, 5–9 × 2–3 mm, apex rounded. |
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Legumes | ellipsoid, 4–5 mm. |
stipitate, ellipsoid-oblong, 6–10 mm. |
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Seeds | 1 (or 2), tan or brown, irregularly ovoid, 1.6–2 mm, smooth, glossy. |
4–9, black or dark brown, ellipsoid-globose, 1–1.5 mm, smooth, glossy. |
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2n | = 16. |
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Trifolium andersonii |
Trifolium ornithopodioides |
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Phenology | Flowering May–Jun. | |||||||||
Habitat | Coastal slopes, roadsides. | |||||||||
Elevation | 0–50 m. (0–200 ft.) | |||||||||
Distribution |
w United States
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NB; Europe; n Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Pacific Islands (New Zealand), Australia] |
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Discussion | Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora). Trifolium andersonii encompasses three moderately well separable subspecies, with subsp. andersonii the more northern form in the range of the species, subsp. monoense in the southwestern portion of the range, and subsp. beatleyae in the eastern portion of the range (J. M. Gillett 1972). Intermediates between the latter two (and overlap in their ranges) make differentiation between them somewhat problematic, which prompted R. C. Barneby (1989) to combine them as var. beatleyae. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Trifolium ornithopodioides comprises small plants and has been considered a member of Trigonella by some authors; molecular studies by N. W. Ellison et al. (2006) showed that it is nested within Trifolium. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 11. | FNA vol. 11. | ||||||||
Parent taxa | Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Trifolium | Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Trifolium | ||||||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||||||
Synonyms | Melilotus ornithopodioides, Trigonella ornithopodioides | |||||||||
Name authority | A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 6: 522. (1865) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 766. (1753) — (as M. ornithopodioides) | ||||||||
Web links |