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foothill clover, tree clover

burrowing clover, subclover, subterranean clover, subterranean trefoil

Habit Herbs annual, 5–50 cm, glabrous or sparsely hairy. Herbs annual, 10–80 cm, glabrous or appressed-pubescent.
Stems

erect, branched.

prostrate to ascending, 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 ovate, 0.5–3 cm, margins entire or slightly toothed, ciliate, apex acute to acuminate;

petiole 1–20 cm;

petiolules 1 mm;

leaflets 3, blades broadly obcordate, 0.8–2.8 × 1–3 cm, base cuneate, veins delicate, widely spaced, margins mostly entire, slightly dentate distally, apex emarginate, surfaces appressed-sericeous.

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.

axillary, elongate and reflexed, pushing into substrate after anthesis, fertile flowers 2–7, sterile flowers 0–80, globose or cylindric, 0.5–1.5 × 0.8–1.5 cm;

involucres absent.

Peduncles

2.5–12 cm.

2–6.5 cm.

Pedicels

erect becoming reflexed, 0.5–6 mm;

bracteoles linear or cup-shaped, to 1 mm.

reflexed after anthesis, 0.2–0.4 mm;

bracteoles absent.

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.

fertile ones 7–15 mm;

calyx tubular, 5–6 mm, glabrous or hairy, veins indistinct, tube 3–4 mm, lobes subequal, pubescent or glabrous, spreading, orifice open;

corolla white, pink, or pink-striped, 7–10 mm, banner ovate-elliptic, 7–10 × 1.5–2 mm, apex rounded;

sterile flowers 4–7 mm;

calyx teeth linear;

corolla absent.

Legumes

short-stipitate, ovoid, 5–10 mm.

subterranean, obovoid, 3–4 mm.

Seeds

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

1, purplish black, ellipsoid, 2.6–3 mm, smooth, dull.

2n

= 16.

= 16.

Trifolium ciliolatum

Trifolium subterraneum

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun. Flowering Mar–May.
Habitat Oak-pine chaparral, meadows, roadsides. Open, disturbed sandy soils.
Elevation 0–1500 m. (0–4900 ft.) 0–1000 m. (0–3300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; GA; LA; MA; MS; NC; NJ; OR; SC; WA; BC; w Europe; w Asia; n Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced also in s South America, s Africa, Pacific Islands (Hawaii, New Zealand), Australia]
[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 subterraneum was first introduced by the USDA about 1921 as a pasture crop; it is utilized as such in the western and southern United States (W. S. McGuire 1985). Inflorescences of T. subterraneum consist of intermixed sterile and fertile flowers; after fetilization, the inflorescence is pushed underground, where the fruits develop.

(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. 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. 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) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 767. (1753)
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