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

broad-leaf clover, twin clover

Habit Herbs annual, 10–60 cm, glabrous. Herbs perennial, 4–40 cm, appressed-pubescent.
Stems

erect, branched.

ascending, branched from slender, rhizomatous crown.

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 or lanceolate, 0.5–2 cm, margins entire proximally, 1–3-toothed distally, apex acuminate or acute;

petiole 1.5–10 cm;

petiolules to 1 mm;

leaflets 3, blades obovate or elliptic, 0.5–4.2 × 0.3–2.5 cm, base cuneate, veins fine or slightly thickened, margins serrulate, apex acute, rounded, or retuse, apiculate, surfaces appressed-pubescent.

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.

terminal, 6–30-flowered, globose, 2.3–3.1 × 2–3 cm, rachis prolonged beyond flowers;

involucres absent.

Peduncles

2–15 cm.

bent proximal to flowers, inflorescence appearing inverted, 2.5–12 cm.

Pedicels

erect, 0.5 mm;

bracteoles absent.

reflexed in fruit, 1.5–2 mm;

bracteoles minute, scalelike, membranous, to 0.3 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.

13–17 mm, sweetly fragrant;

calyx campanulate, 4.5–5 mm, appressed-pubescent, veins 5, tube 2 mm, lobes subequal, linear, orifice open;

corolla white, sometimes with purplish or buff-pink veins, 12–15 mm, banner elliptic, 12–15 × 4 mm, longer than wing and keel petals, apex tapered, sometimes retuse.

Legumes

ellipsoid, 3 mm.

oblong to subglobose, 5 mm.

Seeds

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

1 or 2, dark brown, ± globose, 1.2 mm, smooth.

2n

= 16.

= 16, 32.

Trifolium willdenovii

Trifolium latifolium

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jul. Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat Roadsides, meadows, lawns, hill­sides, stream margins, open oak chaparral. Clearings in conifer forests, moist gravelly, rocky, or clay soils, grassy hillsides and gullies, prairies.
Elevation 0–2500 m. (0–8200 ft.) 800–1500 m. (2600–4900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; ID; OR; WA; BC; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
ID; MT; OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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 latifolium, which is found in northwestern Montana, northern Idaho, northeastern Oregon, and southeastern Washington, is morphologically allied to T. longipes (J. M. Gillett 1969) and molecular phylogenetic studies place it as sister to T. longipes (N. W. Ellison et al. 2006).

(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. 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. 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. longipes var. latifolium, T. aitonii, T. orbiculatum
Name authority Sprengel: Syst. Veg. 3: 208. (1826) (Hooker) Greene: Pittonia 3: 223. (1897)
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