Trifolium macrocephalum |
Trifolium leibergii |
|
---|---|---|
big-head clover, large-head clover |
Leiberg's clover |
|
Habit | Herbs perennial, 5–25 cm, villous. | Herbs perennial, 10–15 cm, canescent. |
Stems | erect or ascending, branched. |
erect, aerial stems sparsely branched. |
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 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, 20–32-flowered, globose or ovoid-ellipsoid, 2.5–8 × 3–7 cm; involucres absent. |
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 | 2–8 cm. |
2–4.5 cm. |
Pedicels | erect, 1–1.5 mm; bracteoles broadly ovate, membranous, to 0.5 mm, truncate. |
reflexed in fruit, 1.5–4 mm; bracteoles triangular, to 0.2 mm. |
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. |
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 | ovoid, 4–5 mm. |
ovoid, 3–4 mm. |
Seeds | 1 or 2, yellow or reddish, mitten-shaped to ellipsoid, 2.5–3 mm, smooth. |
1 or 2, brown, mitten-shaped, 1.5–2 mm, smooth. |
2n | = 32, 48. |
|
Trifolium macrocephalum |
Trifolium leibergii |
|
Phenology | Flowering Apr–Jun. | Flowering Jun–Jul. |
Habitat | Rocky places, hard, compacted clay-gumbo, lava beds, sage-covered slopes, full sun. | Open, rocky slopes and crests, ash-flows. |
Elevation | 80–2500 m. [260–8200 ft.] | 1900–2400 m. [6200–7900 ft.] |
Distribution |
CA; ID; NV; OR; WA
|
NV; OR |
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 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 | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Lupinaster macrocephalum | |
Name authority | (Pursh) Poiret in J. Lamarck et al.: Encycl., suppl. 5: 336. (1817) | A. Nelson & J. F. Macbride: Bot. Gaz. 65: 58. (1918) |
Web links |