Trifolium eriocephalum |
Trifolium columbinum |
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woolly-head clover |
olive clover |
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Habit | Herbs perennial, 12–46 cm, sparsely hairy to densely villous, appressed-pubescent, or glabrate. | Herbs annual, 8–30 cm, canescent. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Stems | erect or decumbent, branched. |
erect, branched from base and distally, or unbranched. |
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Leaves | palmate; stipules lanceolate or ovate, 1–5 cm, margins entire or denticulate, apex acuminate or acute; petiole 1–15 cm; petiolules 1 mm; leaflets 3, blades linear, linear-elliptic, elliptic, lanceolate, lanceolate-oblong, or obovate, 1–5 × 0.4–1.2 cm, base cuneate, veins fine or ± thickened, margins denticulate or serrulate, apex acuminate or acute, surfaces appressed-pubescent abaxially, glabrous, densely villous, or sparsely or densely pilose adaxially. |
palmate; stipules ovate, 0.4–1.2 cm, margins entire, ciliate, apex often purple, acuminate, setaceous; petiole 0.5–8 cm; petiolules 0.5–1 mm; leaflets 3, blades obovate or elliptic, 0.5–3 × 0.3–1.2 cm, base cuneate, veins obscure or slightly thickened, margins dentate, apex rounded or emarginate, surfaces pilose. |
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Inflorescences | terminal or axillary, 25–70-flowered, inverted or horizontal, ellipsoid or globose to subglobose, 2–3 × 1–3 cm, rachis prolonged beyond flowers; involucres absent. |
terminal or axillary, 25–50-flowered, ovoid-ellipsoid, 1–2.5 × 1.2–2.5 cm; involucres absent. |
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Peduncles | bent distally, proximal to flowers, 3–18 cm. |
3–11 cm. |
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Pedicels | reflexed, to 0.3 mm; bracteoles absent. |
absent; bracteoles cuplike, to 0.5 mm. |
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Flowers | 9–18 mm; calyx campanulate, curved in fruit, 4–11 mm, villous, veins 10, tube 1.5–2.5 mm, lobes unequal, 2–3 times tube, subulate, often strongly curved and twisted, plumose, orifice open; corolla white, cream, or purple, 8–16 mm, banner oblanceolate, 8–16 × 3–5 mm, apex rounded or retuse, recurved; ovaries pubescent distally. |
6–10 mm; calyx tubular, 8–14 mm, densely pubescent, veins 20–30, tube 1–2 mm, lobes nearly equal, appearing rigidly erect, linear-setaceous, plumose, sinuses acute, orifice open; corolla sometimes absent, red-violet, often with white tips, 4–6 mm, banner ovate-oblong, 7–8 × 2–3 mm, apex broadly rounded, apiculate. |
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Legumes | ovoid, 2–3.5 mm. |
obovoid, 3–3.5 mm. |
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Seeds | (1 or)2–4, yellow-brown to brown, mitten-shaped or subglobose, 1.2–2 mm, smooth. |
1, yellow-brown, ellipsoid, 2–2.5 mm, smooth. |
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Trifolium eriocephalum |
Trifolium columbinum |
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Phenology | Flowering Apr–May. | |||||||||||||||||||||
Habitat | Grassy slopes, meadows, heavy adobe/clay soils, oak woodland foothills. | |||||||||||||||||||||
Elevation | 0–1400 m. [0–4600 ft.] | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distribution |
w United States
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CA |
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Discussion | Subspecies 6 (6 in the flora). Trifolium eriocephalum was revised by J. M. Gillett (1971). The subspecies exhibit unusually complex distributional patterns, and overlapping morphological features sometimes make identifications problematic (M. Zohary and D. Heller 1984). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
D. Isely (1998) stated that Central Valley populations of Trifolium columbinum appeared to be extinct and populations outside that region (and here recognized as the same taxon) were similar in calyx and corolla proportions. It is rather widespread in California, ranging from Humboldt County southward to Santa Barbara County, and eastward into counties ranging from Shasta southward to Inyo, Kern, and Placer counties. Trifolium albopurpureum var. olivaceum (Greene) Isely and T. columbinum var. olivaceum (Greene) Jepson are illegitimate names that pertain here (D. J. Keil 2019). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 11. | FNA vol. 11. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Parent taxa | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Synonyms | T. albopurpureum var. columbinum, T. columbinum var. argillorum, T. olivaceum, T. olivaceum var. columbinum, T. olivaceum var. griseum | |||||||||||||||||||||
Name authority | Nuttall in J. Torrey and A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 1: 313. (1838) | Greene: Pittonia 1: 4. (1887) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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