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bowl clover, cup clover

buffalo clover

Habit Herbs annual, 5–50 cm, glabrous. Herbs annual or biennial, 10–60 cm, villous or glabrate.
Stems

erect, branched.

erect or ascending, unbranched or branched.

Leaves

palmate;

stipules ovate to lanceolate, 0.6–1.2 cm, margins entire, toothed, or lacerate, apex acute or aristate;

petiole 1–10 cm;

petiolules to 0.5 mm;

leaflets 3, blades obovate, elliptic, or oblanceolate, 0.5–2.5 × 0.3–1.5 cm, base cuneate, veins prominent, green, margins finely toothed, apex rounded, blunt, or retuse, surfaces glabrous.

palmate;

stipules broadly ovate, 1–2.5 cm, margins entire or denticulate, apex acute or acuminate;

petiole 1–10 cm (distalmost 0.3–3.5 cm);

petiolules 0.5–1.5 mm;

leaflets 3, blades ovate, obovate, oblong, or rhombic, 1–4.5 × 0.7–2 cm, base cuneate, veins fine, margins dentate to denticulate, apex broadly acute, rounded, or emarginate, surfaces pubescent or glabrous.

Inflorescences

axillary or terminal, 1–35-flowered, subglobose or ovoid, 0.5–1.8 × 0.5–2 cm;

involucres broadly bowl-shaped, 4–22 mm, shallowly incised, lobes 3–15, toothed, broad, acute.

terminal or axillary, 10–50-flowered, globose to subglobose, 1.5–4 × 2–4 cm;

bracteoles forming shallow, membranous cups, to 0.5 mm.

Peduncles

1–8 cm.

2–8 cm.

Pedicels

straight, 0.1–0.2 mm;

bracteoles absent.

reflexed in fruit, 5–12 mm;

bracteoles broad-obovate, membranous, 0.5–1 mm, truncate to 2-fid.

Flowers

7–15 mm;

calyx campanulate, inflated in fruit, 6–13 mm, glabrous, veins 13–20, tube 3–7 mm, lobes unequal, strongly oblique, broadly triangular, apex setaceous, adaxial unbranched, abaxial and lateral conspicuously 2- or 3-fid, segments glabrous, sometimes flattened, orifice open;

corolla usually creamy white or rose to pink, sometimes whitish with pinkish tips, 6–13 mm, banner obovate or elliptic, proximally inflated in fruit, distally narrowed into twisted tip, 6–13 × 3–6 mm, apex rounded to broadly acute.

10–15 mm;

calyx campanulate, 6–9 mm, pilose or glabrous, veins 10, tube 1–1.5 mm, lobes equal, narrowly triangular to subulate, 3–7 mm, margins green, sinuses broad, orifice open;

corolla usually pink, magenta, or creamy white, sometimes bicolored, 9–14 mm, banner obovate-oblong, 9–14 × 5–8 mm, apex rounded or retuse, often erose-denticulate.

Legumes

ellipsoid, 2.5–3 mm.

oblong, 4–5 mm.

Seeds

1 or 2, yellow-brown, ovoid, 0.4–0.6 mm, smooth.

1–6, yellow to brown, purple-mottled, globose, 1.2–1.5 mm, slightly rugose.

2n

= 16.

= 16.

Trifolium cyathiferum

Trifolium reflexum

Phenology Flowering Apr–Oct. Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Wet meadows, roadsides, fields. Clearings in forests, open woods, meadows, especially after fires.
Elevation 0–2700 m. (0–8900 ft.) 200–500 m. (700–1600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; WA; BC; YT [Introduced in Asia (China, Japan)]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; DC; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NE; NJ; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV; ON
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Trifolium cyathiferum may be of hybrid origin; phylogenetic studies indicate it has the same trnL intron sequence as T. buckwestiorum, T. polyodon, and T. variegatum and nrDNA and combined analyses place it in a clade with other species (T. barbigerum, T. fucatum, T. jokerstii, and T. physanthum Hooker & Arnott) that have inflated fruiting corollas (N. W. Ellison et al. 2006).

The single record of Trifolium cyathiferum labeled as from Utah is likely mislabeled (S. L. Welsh et al. 2008). Populations in Yukon may be introductions.

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

Nearly glabrous plants of Trifolium reflexum have been called var. glabrum Lojacono; var. reflexum is described as densely pubescent. The distinctions between these two varieties is inconsistent and may be based in part on age (M. A. Vincent 1991).

(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. ciliolatum, T. columbinum, 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. 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 Amoria reflexa, T. adscendens, T. comosum, T. platycephalum
Name authority Lindley: Bot. Reg. 13: sub plate 1070. (1827) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 766. (1753)
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