Flora of North America species comparison

prostrate or creeping, branched, rooting at nodes.

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.

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.

3–17 cm.

straight, to 0.5 mm;

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

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.

ovoid, 2.5–3 mm, long-beaked.

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

difficulty of distinguishing Trifolium mucronatum from T. wormskioldii is discussed under 33. T. wormskioldii.

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.

.;

m .

(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).

= 16.