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sand clover, thimble clover, tomcat clover, Willdenow's clover

peanut clover

Habit Herbs annual, 10–60 cm, glabrous. Herbs perennial, 10–25 cm, glabrous or glabrate.
Stems

erect, branched.

creeping, branched, rooting at nodes.

Leaves

palmate;

stipules lanceolate or ovate, 1–2 cm, margins dentate or lacerate, apex acuminate;

petiole 1–8 cm;

petiolules 0.5 mm;

leaflets 3, blades linear, lanceolate, or elliptic, 1–5 × 0.2–1.5 cm, base cuneate, veins fine, margins serrate, apex acute, blunt, or retuse, surfaces glabrous.

palmate;

stipules ovate-lanceolate, 0.5–1 cm, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate;

petiole 3–10 cm;

petiolules 0.5–1 mm;

leaflets 3, blades obcordate, 0.5–1.8 × 0.5–1.5 cm, base cuneate, veins thickened, margins entire or denticulate distally, apex usually deeply emarginate, rarely rounded, surfaces glabrous.

Inflorescences

axillary or terminal, 10–50-flowered, globose or ovoid, 1–3.5 × 1–3 cm;

involucres flattened or bowl-shaped, 3–9 mm, when folded, not hiding flowers except proximally, incised 1/4–1/3 their length.

axillary, 5–20-flowered, globose, 1–2.2 × 1–20 cm, chasmogamous erect, cleistogamous becoming subterranean;

involucres formed of distinct, narrowly lanceolate bracts, 2.5–3.5 mm.

Peduncles

2–15 cm.

chasmogamous 6–8 cm, cleistogamous ± sessile.

Pedicels

erect, 0.5 mm;

bracteoles absent.

reflexed in fruit, cleistogamous pushing fruit underground, chasmogamous 1–8 mm, cleistogamous 4–20 mm;

bracteoles lanceolate, 2–4 mm.

Flowers

12–20 mm;

calyx tubular-campanulate, slit between adaxial lobes, 6–9 mm, glabrous, veins 10–15, tube 3–7 mm, lobes unequal, triangular or subulate, usually 3-fid or shouldered below apex, orifice open;

corolla usually white with purple spot, sometimes lavender or pink or all white, 10–18 mm, banner narrowly oblong, 12–20 × 3–4 mm, apex obtuse or retuse.

chasmogamous 8–11 mm, cleistogamous 4–5 mm;

calyx campanulate, 3–5 mm, slightly pilose, veins 10, tube 1.5–2 mm, lobes subequal, adaxial pair connate proximally, sometimes nearly entire length, narrowly triangular-subulate, orifice open;

corolla magenta or pink, 7.5–11 mm, banner broadly obovate-elliptic, 5–10 × 5–8 mm, apex rounded, emarginate.

Legumes

ellipsoid, 3 mm.

stipitate, chasmogamous ellipsoid, cleistogamous ovoid-globose, chasmogamous longitudinally dehiscent, 3–6 mm, cleistogamous indehiscent, 3–6 mm.

Seeds

1 or 2, yellow, mottled, globose-ellipsoid, 1.5–2.5 mm, smooth.

2–6 (chasmogamous), 1–3 (cleistogamous), tan, mitten-shaped, 1.2–1.5 mm, smooth.

2n

= 16.

= 16, 32.

Trifolium willdenovii

Trifolium amphianthum

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jul. Flowering Mar–Jun.
Habitat Roadsides, meadows, lawns, hill­sides, stream margins, open oak chaparral. Sandy soils, prairies.
Elevation 0–2500 m. (0–8200 ft.) 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; ID; OR; WA; BC; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
LA; TX
Discussion

Trifolium willdenovii was described by M. Zohary and D. Heller (1984) as one of the most variable clover species in North America.

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

Trifolium amphianthum ranges in east-central Texas from Aransas County northward to Denton County, and eastward to San Augustine and Shelby counties; it is also recorded from Natchitoches and Rapides parishes in Louisiana. Trifolium amphianthum was collected once in Arkansas, but the specimen may have been from cultivation.

The name Trifolium polymorphum Poiret applies to plants found in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay and has been misapplied to this North American endemic, as was done by M. Zohary and D. Heller (1984). Trifolium amphianthum is distinguished from T. polymorphum by its much larger leaves and flowers and essentially glabrous leaves and peduncles.

(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. vesiculosum, T. virginicum, T. wormskioldii
T. albopurpureum, T. alexandrinum, T. amoenum, 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. vesiculosum, T. virginicum, T. willdenovii, T. wormskioldii
Synonyms T. involucratum, T. aciculare, T. nuttallii, T. scabrellum, T. segetum, T. tridentatum, T. tridentatum var. aciculare, T. tridentatum var. scabrellum, T. tridentatum var. segetum, T. tridentatum var. watsonii, T. trimorphum, T. watsonii T. roemerianum
Name authority Sprengel: Syst. Veg. 3: 208. (1826) Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 1: 316. (1838)
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