Trifolium macraei |
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Chilean clover, Macrae's clover |
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Habit | Herbs annual, 3–30 cm, pubescent. |
Stems | erect, ascending, or prostrate, branched. |
Leaves | palmate; stipules ovate to oblong, 0.6–1 cm, margins entire, apex acuminate to cuspidate; petiole 0.5–6 cm; petiolules to 0.5 mm; leaflets 3, blades obovate, oblanceolate, or elliptic, 0.6–1.6 × 0.3–1.2 cm, base cuneate, veins obscure or slightly thickened, margins subentire to serrate, apex rounded, retuse, surfaces pubescent. |
Inflorescences | terminal or subterminal, usually paired, sometimes one head slightly stalked, partially hidden by terminal leaves and stipules, 10–40-flowered, ovoid or subglobose, 0.8–2.5 × 0.5–2 cm; involucres absent, involucrelike structure formed from terminal leaves and stipules. |
Peduncles | 0–0.2 cm. |
Pedicels | absent; bracteoles broadly ovate to linear, 1–2 mm. |
Flowers | 5.5–7.5 mm; calyx tubular, 4–5 mm, pubescent, veins 5–10, tube 1.5–2 mm, lobes subequal, subulate, orifice open; corolla usually purple or pink, rarely white, 5–7 mm, banner obovate-oblong, 6–7 × 2–3 mm, apex rounded, slightly denticulate. |
Legumes | oblong, 2.5–3 mm. |
Seeds | 1, yellow, mottled, ellipsoid, 1.6–2 mm, smooth. |
2n | = 16. |
Trifolium macraei |
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Phenology | Flowering May–Jun. |
Habitat | Grassy fields, sandy ocean bluffs. |
Elevation | 0–800 m. (0–2600 ft.) |
Distribution |
CA; OR; South America (Chile)
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Discussion | Trifolium macraei was described from specimens collected in Chile; the South American plants have broader banners, smaller auricles on the wing petals, and styles that are barely curved upwards distally (D. Isely 1998). Further examination of the disjunct populations may reveal other differences and prompt reconsideration of the identity of North American specimens. The record from Massachusetts is a waif. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 11. |
Parent taxa | Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Trifolium |
Sibling taxa | |
Synonyms | T. bicephalum, T. catalinae, T. mercedense, T. traskiae |
Name authority | Hooker & Arnott: Bot. Misc. 3: 179. (1833) |
Web links |