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big-head clover, large-head clover

Sonoran clover

Habit Herbs perennial, 5–25 cm, villous. Herbs perennial, 25–38+ cm, pubescent.
Stems

erect or ascending, branched.

prostrate, 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 narrowly triangular, 0.7–1.7 cm, margins entire or finely serrulate, apex usually acute or acuminate, sometimes 2-fid;

petiole 0.3–5 cm;

petiolules to 1 mm;

leaflets 3, blades obovate to obcordate, 0.9–1.6 × 0.7–1.2 cm, base cuneate, veins moderately thickened, margins serrate to weakly so, apex rounded or emarginate, mucronulate, surfaces slightly hairy abaxially, glabrous adaxially.

Inflorescences

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

involucres absent.

axillary, 10–20-flowered, depressed-globose or globose, 0.8–1.6 × 0.9–1.6 cm, rachis prolonged beyond flowers;

involucres a narrow rim, or slightly proximally connate bracteoles of proximal flowers, 0.1–0.5 mm.

Peduncles

2–8 cm.

2.8–5 cm.

Pedicels

erect, 1–1.5 mm;

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

reflexed in fruit, 1–3 mm;

bracteoles linear-triangular, 0.5 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.

5.7–6.7 mm;

calyx tubular, 3.3–6.5 mm, pubescent, veins 10, tube 0.8–1 mm, lobes subequal, narrowly triangular, orifice open;

corolla white or pink, 5.3–6.5 mm, banner obovate, 5.3–6.5 × 2.8–3.8 mm, apex broadly rounded or broadly acute.

Legumes

ovoid, 4–5 mm.

obovoid, 4.3–4.4 mm.

Seeds

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

2, brownish orange or olive-brown, globose or broadly reniform, 1.2–1.7 mm, smooth.

2n

= 32, 48.

= 16.

Trifolium macrocephalum

Trifolium sonorense

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun. Flowering Aug–Oct.
Habitat Rocky places, hard, compacted clay-gumbo, lava beds, sage-covered slopes, full sun. Dry stream banks, grassy places.
Elevation 80–2500 m. (300–8200 ft.) 1500–1800 m. (4900–5900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; NV; OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; Mexico (Chihuahua, Jalisco, Sinaloa, Sonora)
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 sonorense has long been equated with T. amabile Kunth, from which T. K. Ahlquist (2012) and also Ahlquist & M. A. Vincent have shown it to be distinct by longer sepal lobes (more than 3 mm), keel petal claws (more than 1.7 mm), and filament tubes (more than 3.6 mm). Trifolium sonorense is known from western Mexico and southernmost Arizona (Cochise County), largely in the Sonoran Desert region, and in mountainous Jalisco.

(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. 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. 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) T. K. Ahlquist & Vincent: Phytoneuron 2018-1: 1, fig. 1. (2018)
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