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bull clover, sour clover

Leiberg's clover

Habit Herbs annual, 10–80 cm, glabrous or glabrescent. Herbs perennial, 10–15 cm, canescent.
Stems

erect or ascending, unbranched or densely dichotomously branched.

erect, aerial stems sparsely branched.

Leaves

palmate;

stipules ovate or lanceolate, 1–3 cm, margins entire or toothed, apex usually acuminate, sometimes 2-fid;

petiole 3–15 cm;

petiolules 1–1.5 mm;

leaflets 3, blades broadly obovate, orbiculate, or rhombic-obovate, 0.8–4 × 0.7–3 cm, base broadly cuneate, veins obscure, thickened near leaflet margin, margins remotely dentate to densely serrulate-dentate, apex rounded or slightly retuse, surfaces glabrous or glabrate.

palmate;

stipules lanceolate, 0.7–1.5 cm, margins coarsely spinulose-dentate, apex acuminate;

petiole 1–3 cm;

petiolules to 0.5 mm;

leaflets 3, blades obovate, rhombic, or elliptic, sometimes folded, 0.9–1.5 × 0.5–1.3 cm, base cuneate, veins very thick, margins coarsely spinulose-dentate, apex rounded, long-apiculate, surfaces canescent.

Inflorescences

terminal or axillary, 10–30-flowered, subglobose or globose, 1–4 × 1–4 cm;

involucres broadly bowl-shaped, 4–15 mm, lobes 3–8, lanceolate, acuminate, undivided or 2- or 3-fid.

axillary, 5–25-flowered, globose, 2.2–2.5 × 2.3–2.7 cm;

involucres a narrow, papery, irregular rim, to 0.5 mm.

Peduncles

3–13 cm.

2–4.5 cm.

Pedicels

straight, 1 mm;

bracteoles distinct or connate, broadly ovate, 1 mm.

reflexed in fruit, 1.5–4 mm;

bracteoles triangular, to 0.2 mm.

Flowers

10–27 mm;

calyx campanulate, 3–8 mm, glabrous, veins 10, tube 1.5–2.5 mm, lobes 5–10, unequal, undivided or 3-fid, long-acuminate, orifice open;

corolla creamy white to yellow, pink to purple in age, keel petals rarely dark purple, 10–27 mm, banner broadly ovate, inflated in fruit, not distally twisted, 10–27 × 6–15 mm, apex rounded, erose.

11–15 mm;

calyx campanulate, 5–11 mm, pilose, veins 10, tube 1.8–2.2 mm, lobes subequal, lanceolate-setiform, orifice open;

corolla creamy white with purplish veins, becoming pinkish purple-tinged, 10.5–13 mm, banner broadly rhombic-ovate or obovate, 10.5–13 × 5–7 mm, apex rounded, slightly emarginate.

Legumes

stipitate, linear, 7–8 mm.

ovoid, 3–4 mm.

Seeds

3–8, gray, mottled, globose, 1.6–2 mm, reticulate.

1 or 2, brown, mitten-shaped, 1.5–2 mm, smooth.

2n

= 16.

Trifolium fucatum

Trifolium leibergii

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun. Flowering Jun–Jul.
Habitat Moist places, meadows, road­sides. Open, rocky slopes and crests, ash-flows.
Elevation 0–1000 m. (0–3300 ft.) 1900–2400 m. (6200–7900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA [Introduced in Asia (China, Japan)]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
NV; OR
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Trifolium fucatum is known as an invasive species in Japan (T. Mito and T. Uesugi 2004) and has also been introduced in China (specimen at BM). A single old collection exists from British Columbia, but the species has not been collected in that province again. The Michigan record of the species is an inadvertent waif.

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

Trifolium leibergii is known from only a few populations from Harney County, Oregon, and Elko County, Nevada. It is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.

(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. cyathiferum, T. dasyphyllum, T. dedeckerae, T. depauperatum, T. dichotomum, T. douglasii, T. dubium, T. echinatum, T. eriocephalum, T. fragiferum, T. friscanum, 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. 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. flavulum, T. fucatum var. flavulum, T. fucatum var. gambelii, T. fucatum var. virescens, T. gambelii, T. physopetalum, T. virescens
Name authority Lindley: Edwards’s Bot. Reg. 22: plate 1883. (1836) A. Nelson & J. F. Macbride: Bot. Gaz. 65: 58. (1918)
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