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Siskiyou clover

buffalo clover

Habit Herbs perennial, 20–50 cm, glabrous; rhizomes elongate, slender, roots tuberous. Herbs annual or biennial, 10–60 cm, villous or glabrate.
Stems

erect, sparsely branched.

erect or ascending, unbranched or branched.

Leaves

palmate;

stipules lanceolate, 0.8–1.5 cm, margins entire or slightly lacerate, apex acuminate;

petiole 1.6–2.4 cm;

petiolules 0.5 mm;

leaflets 3, blades obovate, oblanceolate, or elliptic, 0.8–3 × 0.5–0.7 cm, base cuneate, veins fine or thickened distally, margins finely serrulate, apex acute, mucronate, or retuse, surfaces glabrous.

palmate;

stipules broadly ovate, 1–2.5 cm, margins entire or denticulate, apex acute or acuminate;

petiole 1–10 cm (distalmost 0.3–3.5 cm);

petiolules 0.5–1.5 mm;

leaflets 3, blades ovate, obovate, oblong, or rhombic, 1–4.5 × 0.7–2 cm, base cuneate, veins fine, margins dentate to denticulate, apex broadly acute, rounded, or emarginate, surfaces pubescent or glabrous.

Inflorescences

usually terminal, sometimes axillary, 30–50-flowered, subglobose, 1.2–1.8 × 1.5–2 cm;

involucres shallowly bowl-shaped, 18–22 mm, deeply incised, lobes slender, irregular or bifurcate.

terminal or axillary, 10–50-flowered, globose to subglobose, 1.5–4 × 2–4 cm;

bracteoles forming shallow, membranous cups, to 0.5 mm.

Peduncles

2.8–3.4 cm.

2–8 cm.

Pedicels

straight, 0.5–0.8 mm;

bracteoles linear, 1–2 mm.

reflexed in fruit, 5–12 mm;

bracteoles broad-obovate, membranous, 0.5–1 mm, truncate to 2-fid.

Flowers

10–13 mm;

calyx tubular, 0.5–0.6 mm, glabrous, veins 10, tube 2 mm, lobes ± equal, 3–4 mm, orifice open;

corolla white to purple, 9–12 mm, banner oblong, 7–12 × 2–3 mm, apex retuse.

10–15 mm;

calyx campanulate, 6–9 mm, pilose or glabrous, veins 10, tube 1–1.5 mm, lobes equal, narrowly triangular to subulate, 3–7 mm, margins green, sinuses broad, orifice open;

corolla usually pink, magenta, or creamy white, sometimes bicolored, 9–14 mm, banner obovate-oblong, 9–14 × 5–8 mm, apex rounded or retuse, often erose-denticulate.

Legumes

oblong, 2–4 mm.

oblong, 4–5 mm.

Seeds

2–4, brown, subglobose or mitten-shaped, 1.5 mm, smooth.

1–6, yellow to brown, purple-mottled, globose, 1.2–1.5 mm, slightly rugose.

2n

= 16.

Trifolium siskiyouense

Trifolium reflexum

Phenology Flowering Jun–Jul. Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Wet meadows, grassy hillsides. Clearings in forests, open woods, meadows, especially after fires.
Elevation 1000–1500 m. (3300–4900 ft.) 200–500 m. (700–1600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; DC; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NE; NJ; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV; ON
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Trifolium siskiyouense is known from Shasta and Siskiyou counties, California, and Douglas, Jackson, and Josephine counties, Oregon. It is difficult to distinguish from T. wormskioldii without underground parts showing the tubers, but can be separated from the latter by deeply cut involucral segments, long-lobed, slender calyces, and the combination of long wing petals and short keel petals (J. M. Gillett 1980).

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

Nearly glabrous plants of Trifolium reflexum have been called var. glabrum Lojacono; var. reflexum is described as densely pubescent. The distinctions between these two varieties is inconsistent and may be based in part on age (M. A. Vincent 1991).

(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. productum, T. reflexum, T. repens, T. resupinatum, T. retusum, T. rollinsii, 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. 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 T. wormskioldii var. siskiyouense Amoria reflexa, T. adscendens, T. comosum, T. platycephalum
Name authority J. M. Gillett: Canad. J. Bot. 58: 1441. (1980) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 766. (1753)
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