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foothill clover, tree clover

King's clover

Habit Herbs annual, 5–50 cm, glabrous or sparsely hairy. Herbs perennial, 2–40 cm, glabrous.
Stems

erect, branched.

erect or ascending, branched from root stock.

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 lanceolate, 0.8–3 cm, margins entire, apex acuminate;

petiole 0.8–15 cm;

petiolules 1 mm;

leaflets 3, blades ovate, elliptic, or lanceolate, 0.5–8 × 0.4–2.6 cm, basal blades thick, base cuneate, veins prominent, margins sharply serrate, those of basal leaves entire, sometimes shortly setose, apex acute, obtuse, or obcordate, 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 or axillary, 20–35-flowered, inverted or horizontal, depressed-globose or obovoid, 1.5–3.2 × 1.5–3 cm, rachis internodes not especially elongated;

involucres absent.

Peduncles

2.5–12 cm.

curved apically, 3–14 cm.

Pedicels

erect becoming reflexed, 0.5–6 mm;

bracteoles linear or cup-shaped, to 1 mm.

reflexed, 0.5 mm;

bracteoles broadly ovate, blunt, 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.

12–16 mm;

calyx campanulate, 5–6 mm, usually sparsely pubescent, sometimes glabrate, veins 5, tube 2–3.5 mm, lobes equal, 1–1.5 times tube, subulate, curved, orifice open;

corolla usually pink-purple, rarely white, 13–15 mm, banner lanceolate-ovate, 15–18 × 4–5 mm, apex rounded;

ovaries glabrous.

Legumes

short-stipitate, ovoid, 5–10 mm.

flattened, ellipsoid, 3–4 mm.

Seeds

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

1–3, brown, flattened ovoid, 2–2.2 mm, smooth.

2n

= 16.

= 16.

Trifolium ciliolatum

Trifolium kingii

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun. Flowering Jul–Aug.
Habitat Oak-pine chaparral, meadows, roadsides. Alpine meadows, stream banks, open aspen and spruce-fir woods.
Elevation 0–1500 m. (0–4900 ft.) 2200–3300 m. (7200–10800 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO; NV; UT
[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.)

Trifolium kingii is widely distributed throughout Utah (S. L. Welsh et al. 2008), is found in Mesa County southward to Dolores County in Colorado, and is found rarely in eastern Nevada.

(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. 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. 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: Botany (Fortieth Parallel), 59. (1871)
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