Trifolium eriocephalum
Trifolium monanthum
woolly-head clover
carpet clover, mountain carpet clover
erect or decumbent, branched.
decumbent to ascending, much-branched.
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 to lanceolate, 0.3–1.2 cm, margins entire, serrate, or slightly lacerate, apex acute to acuminate;
petiole 1–4.5 cm;
petiolules 0.1–0.5 mm;
leaflets 3, blades obovate, oblanceolate, or elliptic, 0.3–2 × 0.2–0.5 cm, base cuneate, veins prominent, margins ± dentate, serrate, or setose, apex acute, rounded, or retuse, surfaces glabrous or slightly villous.
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.
axillary or terminal, 1–9-flowered, solitary or subglobose, 1–1.6 × 0.3–1.2 cm;
involucres campanulate, 2–5 mm, incised nearly to base, lobes 2–8, lanceolate.
bent distally, proximal to flowers, 3–18 cm.
0.5–2 cm.
reflexed, to 0.3 mm;
bracteoles absent.
erect, 1 mm;
bracteoles absent.
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.
10–16 mm;
calyx tubular, 2–10 mm, glabrous or pubescent, veins 10, tube 4–7 mm, lobes equal, triangular-subulate, orifice open;
corolla white, pink, or lavender, keel petals usually purple-spotted, 8–16 mm, banner oblong, 8–13 × 2–5 mm, apex emarginate.
ovoid, 2–3.5 mm.
oblong, 2–4 mm.
(1 or)2–4, yellow-brown to brown, mitten-shaped or subglobose, 1.2–2 mm, smooth.
1 or 2, brown, mottled, mitten-shaped, 1–2 mm, dull.
= 16.
Trifolium eriocephalum
Trifolium monanthum
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.)
Subspecies 4 (4 in the flora).
Morphological intergradation among subspecies of Trifolium monanthum may be indicative of low genetic barriers to crossing. It might be just as plausible to divide T. mononathum into two species instead of four subspecies (J. M. Gillett 1980), with T. monanthum encompassing populations with white rhizomes, and T. multicaule encompassing populations with taproots.
Trifolium monanthum often forms dense mats.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Ovules usually 2, rarely 1 or 3; calyx lobes usually green, rarely purple, straight, subequal, 3–4 timestube. | → 2 |
2. Herbs densely villous; leaflet blades of basal and median leaves elliptic or lanceolate-oblong; roots cylindric, thickened. | subsp. eriocephalum |
2. Herbs slightly villous, appressed-pubescent, or glabrate; leaflet blades of basal and median leaves usually narrowly lanceolate or linear, rarely narrowly elliptic; roots fusiform-tuberous. | subsp. cascadense |
1. Ovules 3 or 4; calyx lobes usually purple, contorted, abaxial lobes longer, lateral lobes 1–1.5 times tube. | → 3 |
3. Leaflet blades of basal leaves linear or linear-elliptic, apex acute, surfaces sparsely or densely hairy adaxially; roots cylindric, thickened, branched, often rhizomelike. | → 4 |
4. Blades of leaflets of median leaves linear or linear-elliptic; herbs slightly villous. | subsp. cusickii |
4. Blades of leaflets of median leaves broadly elliptic; herbs densely villous. | subsp. villiferum |
3. Leaflet blades of basal leaves obovate, apex rounded to retuse, surfaces usually glabrous adaxially, sometimes sparsely hairy; roots fusiform-tuberous. | → 5 |
5. Inflorescences 2.5 cm diam., significantly overtopping distal leaves; leaflet blades of median leaves broadly lanceolate, surfaces sparsely hairy or glabrous adaxially. | subsp. arcuatum |
5. Inflorescences 1 cm diam., scarcely overtopping distal leaves; leaflet blades of median leaves narrowly lanceolate or linear, surfaces densely villous adaxially. | subsp. martinii |
1. Herbs glabrous or sparsely hairy, mat-forming; stems from thin to thick woody roots, rhizomes slender, white; peduncles straight or bent upwards at steep angle distally; flowers 1–5. | → 2 |
2. Inflorescences (1 or)2–4-flowered; peduncles straight; leaflet blades obovate to oblanceolate, margins ± dentate, apex rounded or retuse. | subsp. monanthum |
2. Inflorescences 1–5-flowered; peduncles bent upwards at steep angle distally; leaflet blades oblanceolate or elliptic, margins setose, apex acute. | subsp. grantianum |
1. Herbs densely hairy, decumbent to ascending; stems from thickened woody taproots, rhizomes absent; peduncles bent upwards at steep angle distally; flowers 1–9. | → 3 |
3. Leaflet blade apex rounded, margins dentate. | subsp. parvum |
3. Leaflet blade apex acute, margins serrate or setose. | subsp. tenerum |
OR
WA
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
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USDA Plants Database
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