Trifolium macraei |
Trifolium mucronatum |
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Chilean clover, Macrae's clover |
cusp clover |
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Habit | Herbs annual, 3–30 cm, pubescent. | |
Stems | erect, ascending, or prostrate, branched. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Peduncles | 0–0.2 cm. |
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Pedicels | absent; bracteoles broadly ovate to linear, 1–2 mm. |
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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. |
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Legumes | oblong, 2.5–3 mm. |
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Seeds | 1, yellow, mottled, ellipsoid, 1.6–2 mm, smooth. |
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The | difficulty of distinguishing Trifolium mucronatum from T. wormskioldii is discussed under 33. T. wormskioldii. |
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Populations | in the United States represent T. mucronatum subsp. lacerum; in Mexico, subsp. lacerum is found in the north, subsp. mucronatum (petals pink or reddish, flowers 1.5–1.7 cm, inflorescences 2.5–3.5 cm diam.) is widespread, and subsp. vaughanae J. |
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m | .; m . |
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Gillett | (petals lavender or white, flowers 1.2–1.4 cm, inflorescences 1.5–2 cm diam.) is restricted to central Mexico (Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí) (J.; gillett 1980). |
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2n | = 16. |
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Trifolium macraei |
Trifolium mucronatum |
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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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w United States; sc United States; n Mexico
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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.) |
Subspecies 3 (1 in the flora). Trifolium involucratum Ortega (1797), which pertains here, is a later homonym of T. involucratum Lamarck (1778, = T. cherleri Linnaeus). (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 | ||
Subordinate taxa | ||
Synonyms | T. bicephalum, T. catalinae, T. mercedense, T. traskiae | |
Name authority | Hooker & Arnott: Bot. Misc. 3: 179. (1833) | Willdenow ex Sprengel: Syst. Veg. 3: 208. (1826) |
Web links |