The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

small-head clover

strawberry clover

Habit Herbs annual, 3–55 cm, densely to sparsely pubescent. Herbs perennial, 5–50 cm, pubescent or glabrous.
Stems

erect to ascending, branched.

prostrate or creeping, branched, rooting at nodes.

Leaves

palmate;

stipules obliquely ovate, 0.4–1.2 cm, margins entire or slightly serrate, apex acuminate;

petiole 1–5 cm;

petiolules 0.5 mm;

leaflets 3, blades oblanceolate, obovate, or obcordate, 0.4–1.7 × 0.3–1.1 cm, base cuneate, veins fine or slightly thickened, margins setose, often dentate distally, apex usually retuse, rarely rounded, surfaces villous.

palmate;

stipules linear or lanceolate, dilated proximally, 1.3–2 cm, margins entire, apex subulate or acuminate;

petiole 1–9 cm;

petiolules 1 mm;

leaflets 3, blades ovate, obovate, or elliptic, 0.5–3 × 0.3–1.5 cm, base cuneate, veins prominent, thickened, curved, margins spinulose-denticulate, apex obtuse, often retuse, surfaces hairy abaxially, glabrous adaxially.

Inflorescences

axillary or terminal, 10–40-flowered, globose, 0.5–1.3 × 0.4–1.2 cm;

involucres flattened or bowl-shaped, 0.4–1 cm, when folded, nearly completely hiding calyces, villous, incised 1/2 their length, lobes 5–12, lanceolate-ovate, entire or slightly toothed proximally, acuminate.

axillary, erect or ascending, 10–30-flowered, globose, 0.8–2 × 0.8–2 cm;

involucres cup-shaped, composed of bracteoles, bracteoles lanceolate-oblong, 3–6 mm, distinct or connate proximally.

Peduncles

1–8 cm.

3–17 cm.

Pedicels

absent;

bracteoles absent.

straight, to 0.5 mm;

bracteoles linear or lanceolate, 2–3 mm, acuminate or 2-fid.

Flowers

4–6 mm;

calyx campanulate-tubular, 3–5.5 mm, pubescent, veins 10, tube 1.8–2.5 mm, lobes ± equal, triangular-aristate, margins hyaline, wavy, orifice open;

corolla white or pink to lavender, 4–6 mm, banner oblong, 3–6 × 1–2 mm, apex emarginate.

6–8 mm;

calyx tubular, inflated in fruit, markedly asymmetric-bilabiate, 2.5–7 mm, usually pilose to woolly, sometimes glabrescent, veins 5–10, connected by reticulating lateral veins, tube 2–7 mm, lobes unequal, abaxial equal to or longer than tube, straight, adaxial spreading in fruit, shorter than tube, very unequal in fruit, orifice open;

corolla white to pink, 5–8 mm, banner oblong-lancelate, 5–8 × 2 mm, apex emarginate to crenulate.

Legumes

broadly ellipsoid, 1.5–2 mm.

ovoid, 2.5–3 mm, long-beaked.

Seeds

1, yellow, reddish mottled, oblong, 1.5 mm, smooth.

1 or 2, tan or brown-spotted, globose-reniform, 1–1.4 mm, smooth, dull.

2n

= 16.

= 16.

Trifolium microcephalum

Trifolium fragiferum

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jul. Flowering Apr–Nov.
Habitat Meadows, roadsides, stream banks, forest clearings, grassy slopes. Meadows, fields, roadsides, sandy and saline soils.
Elevation 0–2500 m. (0–8200 ft.) 0–2000 m. (0–6600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AZ; CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; WA; BC; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; GA; IA; ID; IL; KS; MA; MN; MT; ND; NE; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; SD; UT; WA; WI; WY; BC; ON; c Europe; s Europe; w Asia [Introduced in North America; introduced also in s South America, Pacific Islands (New Zealand), Australia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Trifolium microcephalum is common in much of its range in California and northward into Oregon, and is rare in much of the rest of its range. It is closely allied with the Chilean T. vernum Philippi (N. W. Ellison et al. 2006), which it resembles greatly, and from which it is distinguished by its shorter calyx lobes (M. Zohary and D. Heller 1984).

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

Trifolium fragiferum is cultivated for pastures and in mixtures with grass for hay and silage and, to a lesser extent, as groundcover in orchards and vineyards and as a green manure cover crop (L. St. John et al. 2010). It appears to have been introduced accidentally in the 1870s and as a crop around 1900 (E. A. Hollowell 1939).

(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. macrocephalum, T. medium, 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. 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. 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 Lojaconoa microcephala, T. microcephalum var. bipedale, T. microcephalum var. lemmonii Amoria bonannii, T. bonannii, T. fragiferum subsp. bonannii
Name authority Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 2: 478. (1813) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 772. (1753)
Web links