Trifolium obtusiflorum
Encyclopedia
Trifolium obtusiflorum is a species of clover
known by the common name clammy clover. It is native to California
in the Peninsular
, Transverse
, Sierra Nevada, and the California Coast Ranges and Cascade Range
into southwestern Oregon
.
It grows in moist habitat such as marsh
es and streambanks, and disturbed areas.
The inflorescence
is a head of flowers up to 3 centimeters wide with a base of toothed bract
s. Each flower has a calyx of sepal
s with lobes narrowing into bristles. The flower corolla may be nearly 2 centimeters long and is pink and purple with a white tip.
Clover
Clover , or trefoil, is a genus of about 300 species of plants in the leguminous pea family Fabaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution; the highest diversity is found in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, but many species also occur in South America and Africa, including at high altitudes...
known by the common name clammy clover. It is native to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in the Peninsular
Peninsular Ranges
The Peninsular Ranges are a group of mountain ranges, in the Pacific Coast Ranges, which stretch from southern California in the United States to the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula; they are part of the North American Coast Ranges that run along the Pacific coast from Alaska...
, Transverse
Transverse Ranges
The Transverse Ranges are a group of mountain ranges of southern California, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region that runs along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Mexico in North America. The Transverse Ranges begin at the southern end of the California Coast Ranges and lie between...
, Sierra Nevada, and the California Coast Ranges and Cascade Range
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...
into southwestern Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
.
It grows in moist habitat such as marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
es and streambanks, and disturbed areas.
Description
Trifolium obtusiflorum is an annual herb growing erect in form. It is hairy, glandular, and sticky in texture. The leaves are made up of sharply toothed, pointed oval leaflets up to 4 centimeters in length.The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a head of flowers up to 3 centimeters wide with a base of toothed bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
s. Each flower has a calyx of sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s with lobes narrowing into bristles. The flower corolla may be nearly 2 centimeters long and is pink and purple with a white tip.