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bejar clover

carpet clover, mountain carpet clover

Habit Herbs annual, 5–25 cm, pilose. Herbs perennial, 3–22 cm, glabrous or hairy, often mat-forming.
Stems

erect or ascending, branched.

decumbent to ascending, much-branched.

Leaves

palmate;

stipules oblong to ovate, 0.8–1 cm, margins slightly denticulate or entire, apex acute to acuminate;

petiole 1–5 cm;

petiolules to 1 mm;

leaflets 3, blades obovate, 0.7–1.4 × 0.3–0.8 cm, base broadly cuneate, veins thickened, recurved, margins slightly denticulate, apex rounded or retuse, surfaces pubescent abaxially, glabrous adaxially.

palmate;

stipules ovate to lanceolate, 0.3–1.2 cm, margins entire, serrate, or slightly lacerate, apex acute to acuminate;

petiole 1–4.5 cm;

petiolules 0.1–0.5 mm;

leaflets 3, blades obovate, oblanceolate, or elliptic, 0.3–2 × 0.2–0.5 cm, base cuneate, veins prominent, margins ± dentate, serrate, or setose, apex acute, rounded, or retuse, surfaces glabrous or slightly villous.

Inflorescences

axillary or terminal, 5–15-flowered, globose or subglobose, 1–2 × 1.5–2 cm;

involucres floral bracts forming a small, scarious involucre.

axillary or terminal, 1–9-flowered, solitary or subglobose, 1–1.6 × 0.3–1.2 cm;

involucres campanulate, 2–5 mm, incised nearly to base, lobes 2–8, lanceolate.

Peduncles

geniculate proximal to flowers, inflorescence appearing inverted, 2.5–11 cm.

0.5–2 cm.

Pedicels

curved, 3–4 mm;

bracteoles broadly rhombic, membranous, to 0.5 mm, margins dentate.

erect, 1 mm;

bracteoles absent.

Flowers

7–9 mm;

calyx campanulate, markedly bilabiate, venation strongly reticulate, 5–6 mm, sparsely pilose marginally, veins 5, reticulate in lobes, tube 0.7–1 mm, lobes unequal, abaxial 3 triangular-ovate, 2–3 mm, central abaxial lobe nearly linear, pubescent only along margins, adaxial 2 obovate, 5 mm, orifice open;

corolla white, tinged with pink or lavender, darkening in age, 6–8 mm, banner broadly ovate, 6–8 × 5–6 mm, apex rounded, denticulate.

10–16 mm;

calyx tubular, 2–10 mm, glabrous or pubescent, veins 10, tube 4–7 mm, lobes equal, triangular-subulate, orifice open;

corolla white, pink, or lavender, keel petals usually purple-spotted, 8–16 mm, banner oblong, 8–13 × 2–5 mm, apex emarginate.

Legumes

oblong-ovoid, 3–4 mm.

oblong, 2–4 mm.

Seeds

2–6, yellow, globose to mitten-shaped, 1.1–1.6 mm, rugose.

1 or 2, brown, mottled, mitten-shaped, 1–2 mm, dull.

2n

= 16.

= 16.

Trifolium bejariense

Trifolium monanthum

Phenology Flowering Mar–May.
Habitat Sandy prairies, open woods.
Elevation 0–100 m. (0–300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AR; LA; TX
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
w United States; nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Trifolium bejariense ranges in east-central Texas from Hunt and Lamar counties in the north, southward to Fort Bend and Harris counties, and westward to Travis and Wilson counties; the species is also known from Acadia and Rapides parishes in Louisiana, and Nevada County in Arkansas.

L. F. McDermott reduced Trifolium bejariense to T. carolinianum forma bejariense (Moricand) McDermott.

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

Subspecies 4 (4 in the flora).

Morphological intergradation among subspecies of Trifolium monanthum may be indicative of low genetic barriers to crossing. It might be just as plausible to divide T. mononathum into two species instead of four subspecies (J. M. Gillett 1980), with T. monanthum encompassing populations with white rhizomes, and T. multicaule encompassing populations with taproots.

Trifolium monanthum often forms dense mats.

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

Key
1. Herbs glabrous or sparsely hairy, mat-forming; stems from thin to thick woody roots, rhizomes slender, white; peduncles straight or bent upwards at steep angle distally; flowers 1–5.
→ 2
2. Inflorescences (1 or)2–4-flowered; peduncles straight; leaflet blades obovate to oblanceo­late, margins ± dentate, apex rounded or retuse.
subsp. monanthum
2. Inflorescences 1–5-flowered; peduncles bent upwards at steep angle distally; leaflet blades oblanceolate or elliptic, margins setose, apex acute.
subsp. grantianum
1. Herbs densely hairy, decumbent to ascending; stems from thickened woody taproots, rhizomes absent; peduncles bent upwards at steep angle distally; flowers 1–9.
→ 3
3. Leaflet blade apex rounded, margins dentate.
subsp. parvum
3. Leaflet blade apex acute, margins serrate or setose.
subsp. tenerum
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. andersonii, T. andinum, T. angustifolium, T. appendiculatum, T. arvense, T. attenuatum, T. aureum, T. barbigerum, T. barnebyi, T. beckwithii, 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
T. monanthum subsp. grantianum, T. monanthum subsp. monanthum, T. monanthum subsp. parvum, T. monanthum subsp. tenerum
Synonyms T. macrocalyx
Name authority Moricand: Pl. Nouv. Amér., 2, plate 2. (1834) A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 6: 523. (1865)
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