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

Santa Cruz clover

pine clover, pinewoods clover, woods clover

Habit Herbs annual, 5–40 cm, glabrous. Herbs perennial, 5–30 cm, glabrous or sparsely pilose; rhizomes absent, roots stout, branched.
Stems

decumbent to ascending or erect, slightly branched.

prostrate to ascending, branched.

Leaves

palmate;

stipules whitish with prominent green veins, ovate, 0.3–0.5 cm, margins lacerate, apex acute to acuminate;

petiole 1–2.4 cm;

petiolules to 0.5 mm;

leaflets 3, blades obovate to elliptic, 0.6–1.5 × 0.3–0.8 cm, base cuneate, veins ± thickened distally, margins denticulate, sometimes entire proximally, apex rounded, acute, or retuse, surfaces glabrous.

palmate;

stipules lanceolate-ovate, 0.7–1.3 cm, margins entire, apex acuminate;

petiole 1–8.5 cm;

petiolules 1–1.5 mm;

leaflets 3, blades oblanceolate or obovate, 0.5–2.9 × 0.4–1.3 cm, base cuneate, veins prominent, margins denticulate to spinulose, apex usually rounded or truncate, sometimes retuse, surfaces glabrous.

Inflorescences

terminal or axillary, 15–20-flowered (early inflorescences hidden in stipules, subsessile, 2–5-flowered, flowers cleistogamous), subglobose, 0.5–0.8 × 0.6–0.8 cm;

involucres flattened or shallowly bowl-shaped, 6–8 mm, when folded, nearly hiding calyces, glabrous or sparsely hairy, lobes 4 or 5, ± parallel-sided, 3 or 4-toothed.

axillary or terminal, 10–20-flowered, obconic, globose, or subglobose, 1.7–2.5 × 1.–1.5 cm;

involucres broadly campanulate, 6–8 mm, incised ± 3/4 their length, lobes 15–20, linear-lanceolate, entire, acuminate.

Peduncles

1–3.5 cm.

4–6 cm.

Pedicels

straight, to 0.5 mm;

bracteoles absent.

erect to slightly reflexed, 1–2 mm;

bracteoles ovate, 0.5 mm.

Flowers

7–8 mm;

calyx tubular, 4–5 mm, glabrous, veins 10, tube 2–2.5 mm, lobes subequal, triangular, margins conspicuously 2 or 3-toothed, apex aristate, orifice open;

corolla pale pink or white, 6–7 mm, banner oblong, 5–7 × 1 mm, apex emarginate or erose.

10–16 mm;

calyx campanulate, 6–10 mm, glabrous, veins 10, tube 2–2.3 mm, lobes ± equal, subulate, 3–5 mm, orifice open;

corolla white to pale purple, keel petals with dark purple-red tips, 11–13 mm, banner oblong, 11–13 × 4–5 mm, apex retuse.

Legumes

ovoid, 2.5 mm.

short-stipitate, oblong, 3.5–5 mm.

Seeds

1, dark brown, slightly mottled, ovoid, 2 mm, smooth.

1 or 2, olive-brown, mottled purple, oblong, 1.5 mm, smooth, semiglossy.

2n

= 16.

Trifolium buckwestiorum

Trifolium pinetorum

Phenology Flowering May–Jun. Flowering Jun–Oct.
Habitat Meadows, roadsides, grassy hillsides. Disturbed areas in pine, fir, or spruce forests.
Elevation 0–300 m. (0–1000 ft.) 2300–2800 m. (7500–9200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; NM; Mexico (Chihuahua)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Trifolium buckwestiorum, which ranges from Mendocino to Monterey counties, is unique among clovers in North America because of its aboveground cleistogamous, axillary flowers. The only other clover in North America that produces cleistogamous flowers is T. amphianthum, which produces its cleistogamous flowers at ground level and then pushes them into the substrate.

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

Trifolium pinetorum is found in Cochise, Coconino, Pima, and Santa Cruz counties in Arizona, and Catron, Grant, Lincoln, and Otero counties in New Mexico, as well as the Sierra Madre in Chihuahua, Mexico. It occupies disturbed areas in pine-fir-spruce forests, and has adapted well to anthropogenic disturbances, such as roadsides and other graded areas (J. M. Gillett 1980).

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

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. bejariense, T. bifidum, T. bolanderi, T. brandegeei, T. breweri, 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. 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
Synonyms T. longicaule, T. willdenovii var. longicaule, T. wormskioldii var. longicaule
Name authority Isely: Madroño 39: 90, fig. 2. (1992) Greene: Erythea 2: 182. (1894)
Web links