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arrow-leaf clover

strawberry clover

Habit Herbs annual, 15–70 cm, glabrous. Herbs perennial, 5–50 cm, pubescent or glabrous.
Stems

erect or ascending, branched.

prostrate or creeping, branched, rooting at nodes.

Leaves

palmate;

stipules linear-lanceolate, 1–3.5 cm, margins entire, apex subulate or setaceous;

petiole 0.5–10 cm;

petiolules 1 mm;

leaflet 3, blades obovate to oblong, elliptic or lanceolate, 0.5–4 × 0.5–1.5 cm, base cuneate, veins prominent, thickened, margins spinulose-denticulate, apex apiculate, surfaces glabrous.

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

terminal or axillary, 50–100+-flowered, globose, ovoid, or oblong, 3–6 × 2–3.5 cm;

involucres absent.

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

1–12 cm.

3–17 cm.

Pedicels

absent;

bracteoles lanceolate, 6–7 mm, acuminate.

straight, to 0.5 mm;

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

Flowers

12–16 mm;

calyx urceolate, not bilabiate, inflated in fruit, 6–10 mm, glabrous, veins 20–36, connected by transverse veins in fruit, tube 3–5 mm, lobes reflexed, subequal, subulate, as long as tube, orifice constricted;

corolla white becoming pink, 12–15 mm, banner ovate, broadly clawed, striate, 12–15 × 2–4 mm, apex acute-acuminate.

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

ellipsoid, 2.5–2.5 mm, shorter than calyx.

ovoid, 2.5–3 mm, long-beaked.

Seeds

2 or 3, brown, ovoid, 1–1.5 mm, roughened.

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

2n

= 16.

= 16.

Trifolium vesiculosum

Trifolium fragiferum

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jul. Flowering Apr–Nov.
Habitat Fields, roadsides, forest openings. Meadows, fields, roadsides, sandy and saline soils.
Elevation 0–1000 m. (0–3300 ft.) 0–2000 m. (0–6600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; FL; GA; LA; MA; MO; MS; OK; OR; SC; TX; VA; WA; s Europe; e Europe; w Asia [Introduced in North America]
[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 vesiculosum was first introduced into cultivation in the United States in 1963 and is grown in southern and western states (J. D. Miller and H. D. Wells 1985).

(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. 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. 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 Amoria bonannii, T. bonannii, T. fragiferum subsp. bonannii
Name authority Savi: Fl. Pis. 2: 165. (1798) — (as vessiculosum) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 772. (1753)
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