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cusp clover

King's clover

Habit Herbs perennial, 2–40 cm, glabrous.
Stems

erect or ascending, branched from root stock.

Leaves

palmate;

stipules lanceolate, 0.8–3 cm, margins entire, apex acuminate;

petiole 0.8–15 cm;

petiolules 1 mm;

leaflets 3, blades ovate, elliptic, or lanceolate, 0.5–8 × 0.4–2.6 cm, basal blades thick, base cuneate, veins prominent, margins sharply serrate, those of basal leaves entire, sometimes shortly setose, apex acute, obtuse, or obcordate, surfaces glabrous.

Inflorescences

terminal or axillary, 20–35-flowered, inverted or horizontal, depressed-globose or obovoid, 1.5–3.2 × 1.5–3 cm, rachis internodes not especially elongated;

involucres absent.

Peduncles

curved apically, 3–14 cm.

Pedicels

reflexed, 0.5 mm;

bracteoles broadly ovate, blunt, minute.

Flowers

12–16 mm;

calyx campanulate, 5–6 mm, usually sparsely pubescent, sometimes glabrate, veins 5, tube 2–3.5 mm, lobes equal, 1–1.5 times tube, subulate, curved, orifice open;

corolla usually pink-purple, rarely white, 13–15 mm, banner lanceolate-ovate, 15–18 × 4–5 mm, apex rounded;

ovaries glabrous.

Legumes

flattened, ellipsoid, 3–4 mm.

Seeds

1–3, brown, flattened ovoid, 2–2.2 mm, smooth.

The

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

Populations

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

.;

m .

Gillett

(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).

2n

= 16.

Trifolium mucronatum

Trifolium kingii

Phenology Flowering Jul–Aug.
Habitat Alpine meadows, stream banks, open aspen and spruce-fir woods.
Elevation 2200–3300 m. (7200–10800 ft.)
Distribution
from USDA
w United States; sc United States; n Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO; NV; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 3 (1 in the flora).

Trifolium involucratum Ortega (1797), which pertains here, is a later homonym of T. involucratum Lamarck (1778, = T. cherleri Linnaeus).

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

Trifolium kingii is widely distributed throughout Utah (S. L. Welsh et al. 2008), is found in Mesa County southward to Dolores County in Colorado, and is found rarely in eastern Nevada.

(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. microcephalum, T. microdon, T. monanthum, 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
T. mucronatum subsp. lacerum
Name authority Willdenow ex Sprengel: Syst. Veg. 3: 208. (1826) S. Watson: Botany (Fortieth Parallel), 59. (1871)
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