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elongated clover, productive clover, Shasta clover

Dutch clover, trèfle blanc, white clover

Habit Herbs perennial, 15–45 cm, glabrous. Herbs perennial, 10–40 cm, glabrous or glabrescent.
Stems

± erect, loosely cespitose, branched.

creeping, branched, rooting at nodes.

Leaves

basal and cauline, palmate;

stipules ovate-lanceolate, 0.5–2 cm, margins usually entire, sometimes lobed, apex acute to acuminate;

petiole 0.5–12 cm;

petiolules 1 mm;

leaflets 3, blades lanceolate or elliptic, 0.5–2 × 0.3–1.3 cm, base cuneate, veins prominent, margins serrate, apex acute, apiculate, surfaces glabrous.

palmate;

stipules lanceolate, 0.9–1.3 cm, margins entire, apex short-subulate;

petiole 5–20 cm;

petiolules to 1 mm;

leaflets 3, blades obovate, obcordate, or orbiculate, 0.6–4 × 0.4–2.5 cm, base cuneate, veins moderately prominent, margins serrulate distally, apex rounded, emarginate, or retuse, surfaces glabrous.

Inflorescences

terminal or axillary, 15–30-flowered, ellipsoid or conic, 1.5–2 × 1–3 cm, rachis prolonged beyond flowers, undivided or forked, often bearing sterile flower buds distally;

involucres absent.

axillary, 20–40+-flowered, globose, 1.5–3.5 × 1.5–3.5 cm;

involucres absent.

Peduncles

2–13 cm, slightly twisted apically.

erect, from prostrate stems, 1.5–30 cm.

Pedicels

strongly reflexed in fruit, 0.5 mm;

bracteoles minute, lanceolate.

strongly reflexed in fruit, elongate, 3–5 mm;

bracteoles white, lanceolate, 1–2 mm.

Flowers

12–14 mm;

calyx pink to purple, campanulate, 3–3.5 mm, glabrous, veins 10 (5 sometimes faint), tube 1.5–1.7 mm, lobes subequal, triangular-subulate, orifice open;

corolla pink to deep purple, 12–14 mm, banner oblong, 12–14 × 4–5 mm, apex rounded or retuse.

8–13 mm;

calyx campanulate, 3–5 mm, glabrous, veins 6–10, tube 1.5–2.5 mm, lobes unequal to subequal, adaxial shorter than tube, triangular-lanceolate, orifice open;

corolla white, often pinkish in age, 4–12 mm, banner ovate-lanceolate or oblong, 4–12 × 1–4 mm, apex rounded.

Legumes

obliquely ellipsoid, 5 mm.

linear-oblong, 4–5 mm.

Seeds

1 or 2, brown, often purple-mottled, flattened ovoid, 2–3 mm, smooth.

3 or 4, yellow, reddish brown, or light brown, ovoid-reniform, 1 mm, smooth, glossy.

2n

= 16.

= 16, 28, 32, 48, 64.

Trifolium productum

Trifolium repens

Phenology Flowering May–Sep. Flowering Feb–Oct.
Habitat Open coniferous woods, rocky places, stream banks, grassy meadows, near springs. Fields, lawns, roadsides, forest edges, waste places.
Elevation 1100–2800 m. (3600–9200 ft.) 0–4000 m. (0–13100 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; NV; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; SPM; Greenland; Eurasia [Introduced in North America; introduced also in South America, Africa, Pacific Islands]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Trifolium productum is morphologically most similar to T. kingii, from which it differs by its glabrous calyces and inflorescence rachises surpassing the flowers to 1.5 cm and apically forked (M. Zohary and D. Heller 1984). Trifolium productum is geographically isolated from T. kingii; the former is restricted to northern California, western Oregon, and western Nevada, while the latter is restricted to Utah and easternmost Nevada (J. M. Gillett 1972).

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

Trifolium repens may very well be the most important temperate pasture plant (M. J. Baker and W. M. Williams 1987) and has been considered the most important perennial pasture plant in North America (C. V. Piper 1924). It was introduced at least as early as the mid 1800s (R. N. Mack 2003) and spread so rapidly that it became known to Native Americans as White Man’s Foot Grass (W. Strickland 1801). It is morphologically diverse; most material from the flora area represents var. repens, but some specimens fit within the circumscriptions given by M. Zohary and D. Heller (1984) of var. giganteum Lagrèze-Fossat, with inflorescences to 3.5 cm diameter and leaflets nearly 4 cm; others have smaller, pale-pink petals with hairy petioles and pedicels, and approach var. biasolettii (Steudel & Hochstetter) Ascherson & Graebner (T. occidentale Coombe).

(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. 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. 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. 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 T. kingii subsp. productum, T. kingii var. productum T. saxicola
Name authority Greene: Erythea 2: 181. (1894) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 767. (1753)
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