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foothill clover, tree clover

Brandegee's clover

Habit Herbs annual, 5–50 cm, glabrous or sparsely hairy. Herbs perennial, 5–15 cm, glabrous.
Stems

erect, branched.

cespitose, short-branched.

Leaves

palmate;

stipules ovate-lanceolate, 1–1.5 cm, margins entire, sometimes ciliate, apex acuminate;

petiole 1–13 cm;

petiolules 0.5 mm;

leaflets 3, blades elliptic to oblong or obovate, 0.8–3.5 × 0.5–1.5 cm, base cuneate, veins thickened, margins serrate proximally, obscurely denticulate distally, apex usually rounded or retuse, rarely acute, surfaces glabrous.

palmate;

stipules broadly lanceolate, 1–1.5 cm, margins entire, apex acute-acuminate;

petiole 0.6–1.2 cm;

petiolules to 0.5 mm;

leaflets 3, blades ovate, oblong-elliptic, or elliptic, 0.8–3 × 0.4–1.5 cm, base cuneate, veins moderately thickened, margins entire or faintly serrate, apex acute to rounded or minutely apiculate, surfaces glabrous.

Inflorescences

axillary or terminal, 10–30-flowered, ovoid to subglobose, 0.7–2.2 × 0.5–2 cm;

involucres a narrow rim, 0.5 mm, membranous, dentate.

terminal, 4–15-flowered, ovoid-ellipsoid, 2.5–4 × 2.2–3 cm, rachis prolonged ca. 10 mm beyond distalmost flower;

involucres absent.

Peduncles

2.5–12 cm.

6–20 cm.

Pedicels

erect becoming reflexed, 0.5–6 mm;

bracteoles linear or cup-shaped, to 1 mm.

strongly reflexed, 1–2 mm;

bracteoles linear, minute.

Flowers

6–13 mm;

calyx broadly campanulate, 5–11 mm, glabrous, veins 10, tube 1–5 mm, lobes unequal, elliptic to linear, margins hyaline, dentate or pectinate, ciliate, sinuses narrow, orifice open;

corolla white, pink, or purple, 5–13 mm, banner broadly ovate, 6–13 × 4–7 mm, apex rounded, apiculate.

15–18 mm;

calyx whitish, campanulate, 7–10 mm, sparsely pubescent, veins 10, tube 4–5 mm, lobes subequal, longer than tube, narrowly triangular, acuminate, orifice open;

corolla purple to magenta, 15–18 mm, banner broadly ovate, 15–17 × 7–9 mm, apex obtuse or retuse.

Legumes

short-stipitate, ovoid, 5–10 mm.

oblong, 6.5–7 mm.

Seeds

1 or 2, brown, mottled, ovoid, 2.5–3 mm, smooth.

1–3, yellow and red, flattened ovoid, 2–2.5 mm, smooth.

2n

= 16.

= 16.

Trifolium ciliolatum

Trifolium brandegeei

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun. Flowering Jul–Aug.
Habitat Oak-pine chaparral, meadows, roadsides. Open montane forests and subalpine areas.
Elevation 0–1500 m. (0–4900 ft.) 3500–3700 m. (11500–12100 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO; NM
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Trifolium ciliolatum is relatively widespread in California and is found in scattered sites in Baja California, Oregon, and Washington.

Trifolium ciliatum Nuttall (1848), which pertains here, is a later homonym of T. ciliatum E. D. Clarke (1813).

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

A close relationship between Trifolium brandegeei and T. parryi was hypothesized by J. M. Gillett (1965); this has not been borne out by flavonoid chemosystematics (E. V. Parups et al. 1966) or DNA analyses (N. W. Ellison et al. 2006).

(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. buckwestiorum, T. calcaricum, T. campestre, T. carolinianum, T. cernuum, 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. 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
Synonyms T. ciliatum var. discolor
Name authority Bentham: Pl. Hartw., 304. (1849) S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 11: 130. (1876) — (as brandegei)
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