Contains 16 accepted taxa overall.
Characteristics
Classification
Citation
TRIFOLIUM Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 764. 1753.
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TYPE: Trifolium pratense Linnaeus Lectotypified by Britton & A. Brown, Ill. Fl. N. U.S., ed. 2. 2: 353. 1913.
Species
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Herbarium Specimens | Status | Photos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trifolium arvense | RABBITFOOT CLOVER | Not Native | ||
| Trifolium campestre | FIELD CLOVER; HOP CLOVER | Not Native | ||
| Trifolium carolinianum | CAROLINA CLOVER | Native | ||
| Trifolium dubium | LOW HOP CLOVER; SUCKLING CLOVER | Not Native FACU (NWPL) | ||
| Trifolium hirtum | ROSE CLOVER | Not Native | ||
| Trifolium hybridum | ALSIKE CLOVER | Not Native FACU (NWPL) | ||
| Trifolium incarnatum | CRIMSON CLOVER | Not Native | ||
| Trifolium lappaceum | BURDOCK CLOVER | Not Native | ||
| Trifolium nigrescens | SMALL WHITE CLOVER; BALL CLOVER | Not Native | ||
| Trifolium pratense | RED CLOVER | Not Native FACU (NWPL) | ||
| Trifolium reflexum | BUFFALO CLOVER | Native | ||
| Trifolium repens | WHITE CLOVER; DUTCH CLOVER | Not Native FACU (NWPL) | ||
| Trifolium resupinatum | PERSIAN CLOVER; REVERSED CLOVER | Not Native FACU (NWPL) | ||
| Trifolium spumosum | MEDITERRANEAN CLOVER | Not Native | ||
| Trifolium tomentosum | WOOLLY CLOVER | Not Native | ||
| Trifolium vesiculosum | ARROWLEAF CLOVER | Not Native |
Identification Key
1. Corolla bright yellow
2
1. Corolla white, pink, to red
3
2. Stipules 5-8 mm long; leaflets rhombic to obovate; corolla 4-6 mm long, the upper petal striate or ribbed, plane or nearly so; inflorescence 8-13 mm wide, mostly with 20-60 flowers
2. Stipules 3-5 mm long; leaflets obovate to elliptic-lanceolate; corolla 2.5-4 mm long, the upper petal scarcely striate or ribbed or not at all, longitudinally folded; inflorescence 5-8 mm wide, mostly with 3-20 flowers
3. Pedicels 1-10 mm long
4
3. Pedicels 0-1 mm long
8
4. Plant stoloniferous; peduncles arising from the stolon
4. Plant not stoloniferous; peduncles arising from aboveground nodes of the stem
5
5. Stipules lanceolate, subequal to the stem width, scarious, sometimes green only in the upper half; calyx glabrate (except for tufts at the base)
6
5. Stipules ovate, often wider than the stem, most of the blade green when young, sometimes scarious at the base; calyx pilose (sometimes sparsely so)
7
6. Leaflets 1-4 cm long; calyx lobes not scarious-margined
6. Leaflets 0.6-2.5 cm long; calyx lobes scarious-margined
7. Calyx lobes lanceolate, foliaceous, 3-veined; inflorescence 1-1.5 cm wide; corolla 4-7 mm long
7. Calyx lobes subulate, setaceous, 1-veined; inflorescence 2-4 cm wide; corolla 8-12 mm long
8. Inflorescence subsessile and involucrate, subtended by 2 broad stipules and 1-2 leaves
9
8. Inflorescence pedunculate (occasionally subsessile, the peduncle mostly >2 mm long), without stipules and leaves directly under the head
10
9. Stipules with an acuminate tip; calyx subappressed pubescent, the tube 20-nerved
9. Stipules with a filamentous, awned tip; calyx sparsely pilose, the tube 10-nerved
10. Calyx bladder-like, becoming inflated in fruit
11
10. Calyx not bladder-like, becoming inflated in fruit
13
11. Calyx tube 4-6 mm long; corolla not resupinate; fruit with 4-6 mm long, (1-)3-4 seeds
11. Calyx tube 1-2 mm long; corolla resupinate; fruit 1.5-2 mm long, with 1 seed
12
12. Peduncle 6-60 mm long; calyx short-hairy to glabrate, the apical teeth prolonged and conspicuous, especially in fruit, the calyx tube 7-9 mm long in fruit
12. Peduncle to 15 mm long, often much shorter; calyx woolly, the apical teeth short and usually concealed, the calyx tube 4-5 mm long in fruit
13. Corolla 3-8 mm long, subequal to shorter than the calyx
14
13. Corolla 9-18 mm long, subequal to longer than the calyx
15
14. Leaflets mostly oblong to narrowly obovate, <3 mm wide; inflorescence head elongate, cylindric; calyx tube pubescent, 10-nerved, the lobes 1-nerved
14. Leaflets mostly obovate, >3 mm wide; inflorescence head globose; calyx tube glabrous, 20-nerved, the lobes with 2 or more nerves
15. Inflorescence 1-2 cm wide, without floral bracts; calyx pilose, 10-nerved, not cross-reticulate; corolla red (rarely white); calyx not inflated in fruit
15. Inflorescence 2.5-3 cm wide, with floral bracts; calyx glabrate to sparsely pilose at the tip, 20-nerved, cross-reticulate; corolla white; calyx inflated in fruit
Genus Synonyms
| Synonym | Full Citation | Basionym | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amarenus | Amarenus C. Presl, Symb. Bot. 1: 46. 1831. | TYPE: Non designatus. | |
| Amoria | Amoria C. Presl, Symb. Bot. 1: 43, 47, 54, pl. 30-31. 1831. | TYPE: Amoria calycina C. Presl Lectotypified by Cowan, Taxon 8: 58. 1959. | |
| Aporanthus | Aporanthus Bromfield, Fl. Vect. 117. 1856. | TYPE: Aporanthus trifoliastrum Bromfield, nom. illegit. (Trifolium ornithopodioides Linnaeus) = Falcatula Brotero 1801. | |
| Calycomorphum | Calycomorphum C. Presl, Symb. Bot. 1: 50. 1831. | TYPE: Non designatus. | |
| Chrysaspis | Chrysaspis Desvaux, Observ. Pl. Angers 163. 1818. | TYPE: Non designatus. | |
| Dactiphyllon | Dactiphyllon Rafinesque, Amer. Monthly Mag. & Crit. Rev. 2: 268. 1818. | TYPE: = Lupinaster Fabricius 1759; = Trifolium Linnaeus 1753. | |
| Falcatula | Falcatula Brotero, Phytogr. Lusitan. Select. 1: 160, t. 65. 1816. | TYPE: Falcatula falsotrifolium Brotero, nom. illegit. (Trifolium ornithopodioides Linnaeus) | |
| Galearia | Galearia C. Presl, Symb. Bot. 1: 49. 1831, nom. rej. vs. Galearia Zollinger & Moritzi 1846. | TYPE: Galearia fragifera (Linnaeus) C. Presl (Trifolium fragiferum Linnaeus) Lectotypified by Hossain, Notes Roy Bot. Gard. Edinburgh 23: 446. 1961. = Xerosphaera Sojak 1986. | |
| Lagopus | Lagopus Bernhardi, Syst. Verz. Pfl. 229. 1800, non Hill 1756. | TYPE: Non designatus. | |
| Loxospermum | Loxospermum Hochstetter, Flora 29: 594. 1846. | TYPE: Non designatus. | |
| Lupinaster | Lupinaster Fabricius, Enum. 171. 1759. | TYPE: = Trifolium Linnaeus 1753. | |
| Micrantheum | Micrantheum C.Presl, Symb. Bot. 1: 47. 1831, non Desfontaines 1818. | TYPE: Non designatus. | |
| Microphyton | Microphyton Fourreau, Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, ser. 2. 16: 362. 1868. | TYPE: Non designatus. | |
| Mistyllus | Mistyllus C. Presl, Symb. Bot. 1: 49. 1831. | TYPE: Non designatus. | |
| Paramesus | Paramesus C. Presl, Symb. Bot. 1: 45. 1831. | TYPE: Paramesus strictus (Linnaeus) C. Presl (Trifolium strictum Linnaeus) | |
| Pentaphyllon | Pentaphyllon Persoon, Syn. Pl. 2: 352. 1804, non Pentaphyllum Hill 1756. | TYPE: = Lupinaster Fabricius 1759; = Trifolium Linnaeus 1753. | |
| Triphylloides | Triphylloides Moench, Methodus 509. 1794. | TYPE: Non designatus. | |
| Xerosphaera | Xerosphaera Sojak, Cas. Nar. Muz. Rada Prir. 154: 35. 1986 ("1985"). | TYPE: Xerosphaera fragifera (Linnaeus) Sojak (Trifolium fragiferum Linnaeus) Substitute name for Galearia C. Presl 1831 (nom. rej.). |