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Anderson's clover, fiveleaf clover

Pacific grove clover, woods or Pacific grove clover

Habit Herbs perennial, 5–12 cm, canescent. Herbs annual, 10–60 cm, glabrous.
Stems

erect-ascending, cespitose, mat-forming, branched;

from deep taproot-like crown.

decumbent or ascending, branched.

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 lanceolate to ovate, 0.4–1.8 cm, margins lacerate, apex acute to acuminate;

petiole 0.5–6 cm;

petiolules to 1 mm;

leaflets 3, blades broadly elliptic to broadly obovate, 0.4–2.5 × 0.4–1.5 cm, base cuneate, veins moderately thickened, margins dentate-serrulate, apex rounded or truncate, often retuse, surfaces glabrous.

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, 10–25-flowered, subglobose or globose, 1–1.8 × 1–1.8 cm;

involucres flattened or bowl-shaped, 4–7 mm, incised 1/2 their length, when folded, not hiding flowers except proximally, lobes 5–12, dentate-lacerate, spinulose.

Peduncles

1–14 cm.

1–2 cm.

Pedicels

absent;

bracteoles absent.

straight, to 1 mm;

bracteoles absent.

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.

8–10 mm;

calyx campanulate-tubular, not slit between adaxial lobes, 5–7 mm, glabrous, veins 20, tube 1.9–2.4 mm, lobes unequal, 3-fid or laciniate, often appearing 7+-lobed, orifice open;

corolla pink or pale purple, 8–9 mm, banner elliptic, 8–9 × 2–3 mm, apex retuse.

Legumes

ellipsoid, 4–5 mm.

ellipsoid, 3.5–4 mm.

Seeds

1 (or 2), tan or brown, irregularly ovoid, 1.6–2 mm, smooth, glossy.

2, dark brown, mottled, ovoid or reniform, 1.7–1.9 mm, smooth.

Trifolium andersonii

Trifolium polyodon

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Along streams, moist meadows.
Elevation 0–150 m. (0–500 ft.)
Distribution
from USDA
w United States
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
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.)

The taxonomic status of Trifolium polyodon, known only from Monterey County, has long been debated. W. L. Jepson (1936) considered it a variety of T. tridentatum Lindley (= T. willdenovii). The first to consider it as a variety of T. variegatum was J. S. Martin (1943), who never formally published a new combination; an invalid combination was made by M. Zohary and D. Heller (1984). D. Isely (1998) included it in his interpretation of T. variegatum as phase 5 of that species; he speculated that T. polyodon might have originated as a hybrid of T. variegatum and T. willdenovii. Molecular studies (N. W. Ellison et al. 2006) showed that T. polyodon is closely related to T. variegatum but is distinct; it also appears to be related to T. cyathiferum.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Leaflet blades 0.5–1.1 cm, surfaces with appressed hairs to l mm; 3000–4000 m.
subsp. monoense
1. Leaflet blades 0.9–2.2 cm, surfaces with spreading hairs 1.5–2 mm; 800–2500 m.
→ 2
2. Peduncles l–3 cm, not overtopping leaves.
subsp. andersonii
2. Peduncles 4–14 cm, overtopping leaves.
subsp. beatleyae
Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Trifolium Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Trifolium
Sibling taxa
T. albopurpureum, T. alexandrinum, T. amoenum, T. amphianthum, T. andinum, T. angustifolium, T. appendiculatum, T. arvense, T. attenuatum, T. aureum, T. barbigerum, T. barnebyi, T. beckwithii, T. bejariense, T. bifidum, T. bolanderi, T. brandegeei, T. breweri, T. buckwestiorum, T. calcaricum, T. campestre, T. carolinianum, T. cernuum, T. ciliolatum, T. columbinum, T. cyathiferum, T. dasyphyllum, T. dedeckerae, T. depauperatum, T. dichotomum, T. douglasii, T. dubium, T. echinatum, T. eriocephalum, T. fragiferum, T. friscanum, T. fucatum, T. glomeratum, T. gracilentum, T. grayi, T. gymnocarpon, T. haydenii, T. hirtum, T. howellii, T. hybridum, T. hydrophilum, T. incarnatum, T. jokerstii, T. kentuckiense, T. kingii, T. lappaceum, T. latifolium, T. leibergii, T. lemmonii, T. longipes, T. lupinaster, T. macilentum, T. macraei, T. macrocephalum, T. medium, T. microcephalum, T. microdon, T. monanthum, T. mucronatum, T. nanum, T. nigrescens, T. obtusiflorum, T. oliganthum, T. ornithopodioides, T. owyheense, T. palmeri, T. parryi, T. pinetorum, T. piorkowskii, T. plumosum, T. polyodon, T. pratense, T. productum, T. reflexum, T. repens, T. resupinatum, T. retusum, T. rollinsii, T. siskiyouense, T. sonorense, T. stoloniferum, T. striatum, T. subterraneum, T. suffocatum, T. thompsonii, T. tomentosum, T. trichocalyx, T. variegatum, T. vesiculosum, T. virginicum, T. willdenovii, T. wormskioldii
T. albopurpureum, T. alexandrinum, T. amoenum, T. amphianthum, T. andersonii, T. andinum, T. angustifolium, T. appendiculatum, T. arvense, T. attenuatum, T. aureum, T. barbigerum, T. barnebyi, T. beckwithii, T. bejariense, T. bifidum, T. bolanderi, T. brandegeei, T. breweri, T. buckwestiorum, T. calcaricum, T. campestre, T. carolinianum, T. cernuum, T. ciliolatum, T. columbinum, T. cyathiferum, T. dasyphyllum, T. dedeckerae, T. depauperatum, T. dichotomum, T. douglasii, T. dubium, T. echinatum, T. eriocephalum, T. fragiferum, T. friscanum, T. fucatum, T. glomeratum, T. gracilentum, T. grayi, T. gymnocarpon, T. haydenii, T. hirtum, T. howellii, T. hybridum, T. hydrophilum, T. incarnatum, T. jokerstii, T. kentuckiense, T. kingii, T. lappaceum, T. latifolium, T. leibergii, T. lemmonii, T. longipes, T. lupinaster, T. macilentum, T. macraei, T. macrocephalum, T. medium, T. microcephalum, T. microdon, T. monanthum, T. mucronatum, T. nanum, T. nigrescens, T. obtusiflorum, T. oliganthum, T. ornithopodioides, T. owyheense, T. palmeri, T. parryi, T. pinetorum, T. piorkowskii, T. plumosum, T. pratense, T. productum, T. reflexum, T. repens, T. resupinatum, T. retusum, T. rollinsii, T. siskiyouense, T. sonorense, T. stoloniferum, T. striatum, T. subterraneum, T. suffocatum, T. thompsonii, T. tomentosum, T. trichocalyx, T. variegatum, T. vesiculosum, T. virginicum, T. willdenovii, T. wormskioldii
Subordinate taxa
T. andersonii subsp. andersonii, T. andersonii subsp. beatleyae, T. andersonii subsp. monoense
Synonyms T. tridentatum var. polyodon
Name authority A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 6: 522. (1865) Greene: Pittonia 3: 215. (1897)
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