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

Dutch clover, trèfle blanc, white clover

Habit Herbs annual, 10–60 cm, glabrous. Herbs perennial, 10–40 cm, glabrous or glabrescent.
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 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

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

involucres absent.

Peduncles

2–15 cm.

erect, from prostrate stems, 1.5–30 cm.

Pedicels

erect, 0.5 mm;

bracteoles absent.

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

bracteoles white, lanceolate, 1–2 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.

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

ellipsoid, 3 mm.

linear-oblong, 4–5 mm.

Seeds

1 or 2, yellow, mottled, globose-ellipsoid, 1.5–2.5 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 willdenovii

Trifolium repens

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jul. Flowering Feb–Oct.
Habitat Roadsides, meadows, lawns, hill­sides, stream margins, open oak chaparral. Fields, lawns, roadsides, forest edges, waste places.
Elevation 0–2500 m. (0–8200 ft.) 0–4000 m. (0–13100 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; ID; OR; WA; BC; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch 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 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 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. 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. 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. 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. saxicola
Name authority Sprengel: Syst. Veg. 3: 208. (1826) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 767. (1753)
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