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big-head clover, large-head clover

Butte County golden clover, Jim's clover

Habit Herbs perennial, 5–25 cm, villous. Herbs annual, 5–20 cm, glabrous.
Stems

erect or ascending, branched.

erect-ascending, simple or cespitose, branched or unbranched.

Leaves

palmate;

stipules ovate, obovate, or oblong, 1–3 cm, margins entire, irregularly lobed, or serrate, apex acute or acuminate;

petiole 1–14 cm;

petiolules 0.9–1.2 mm;

leaflets (5–)7–9, blades broadly to narrowly obovate, often folded, 1–2.7 × 0.4–1.1 cm, base cuneate, veins thickened, especially distally, margins serrulate, apex rounded or truncate, apiculate, surfaces villous abaxially, sparsely villous to glabrate adaxially.

palmate;

stipules ovate-lanceolate, 0.8–2 cm, margins toothed, apex rounded to acute;

petiole 1–9 cm;

petiolules 0.5 mm;

leaflets 3, blades elliptic to obovate, 0.5–3.2 × 0.4–1.5 cm, base cuneate, veins fine to slightly thickened, margins usually serrulate, rarely nearly lobed, teeth shortly aristate, apex usually acute or obtuse, rarely emarginate, surfaces glabrous.

Inflorescences

terminal, 20–32-flowered, globose or ovoid-ellipsoid, 2.5–8 × 3–7 cm;

involucres absent.

axillary or terminal, 10–30-flowered, subglobose, 1.2–3 × 1.2–3 cm;

involucres widely campanulate to nearly flat, 6–11 mm.

Peduncles

2–8 cm.

2–15 cm.

Pedicels

erect, 1–1.5 mm;

bracteoles broadly ovate, membranous, to 0.5 mm, truncate.

straight, 0.5 mm;

bracteoles absent.

Flowers

20–30 mm;

calyx campanulate, 10–22 mm, villous, veins 10–15, tube 2.5–4 mm, lobes subequal, subulate, plumose, orifice open;

corolla white, creamy white, or pinkish, keel petals deep pink, 20–28 mm, banner ovate or oblong, 20–28 × 10–13 mm, apex rounded or slightly emarginate.

10–16 mm;

calyx campanulate, inflated in fruit, 7–9 mm, sparsely pubescent, veins 5, tube 3.5–4.5 mm, lobes unequal, abaxial and lateral 2- or 3-fid, adaxial unbranched, segments plumose, apex setaceous, orifice open;

corolla yellow, 10–15 mm, banner broadly ovate, proximally inflated in fruit, distally narrowed into twisted tip, 10–15 × 3–5 mm, apex obtuse, truncate, or emarginate-apiculate.

Legumes

ovoid, 4–5 mm.

stipitate, ovoid, 3.3–3.5 mm.

Seeds

1 or 2, yellow or reddish, mitten-shaped to ellipsoid, 2.5–3 mm, smooth.

1 or 2, dark brown, ellipsoid to mitten-shaped, 3.1–3.4 mm, rugose.

2n

= 32, 48.

Trifolium macrocephalum

Trifolium jokerstii

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun. Flowering Mar–May.
Habitat Rocky places, hard, compacted clay-gumbo, lava beds, sage-covered slopes, full sun. Wet meadows, streamsides.
Elevation 80–2500 m. (300–8200 ft.) 300–400 m. (1000–1300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; NV; OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Trifolium macrocephalum has the largest inflorescences of any clover. Trifolium megacephalum Nuttall (1818) is an illegitimate replacement name for Lupinaster macrocephalum Pursh.

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

Trifolium jokerstii is known only from Butte County, from Table Mountain and along a stream adjacent to it (M. A. Vincent and R. Morgan 1998).

(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. 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. leibergii, T. lemmonii, T. longipes, T. lupinaster, T. macilentum, T. macraei, 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. 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
Synonyms Lupinaster macrocephalum
Name authority (Pursh) Poiret in J. Lamarck et al.: Encycl., suppl. 5: 336. (1817) Vincent & Rand. Morgan: Novon 8: 91, fig. 1. (1998)
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