''Trifolium macraei'' is a species of

clover Clovers, also called trefoils, are plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution with the highest diversit ...

known by the common names Chilean clover, double-head clover, and MacRae's clover. It has a

disjunct distribution In biology, a taxon with a disjunct distribution is one that has two or more groups that are related but considerably separated from each other geographically. The causes are varied and might demonstrate either the expansion or contraction of a s ...

, occurring on the coastline of

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

and

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

in the United States, as well as in South America.Knapp, E. E. and P. G. Connors. (1999)
Genetic consequences of a single-founder population bottleneck in ''Trifolium amoenum'' (Fabaceae).
''American Journal of Botany'' 86 124-30. It grows in coastal habitat, such as sand dunes, and disturbed areas. It is an annual herb taking a decumbent or erect form. The leaves are made up of oval leaflets 1 to 2 centimeters in length. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

is usually made up of two oval or rounded heads of flowers each measuring up to 1.5 centimeters wide. Each flower has a calyx of

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s which taper into densely hairy bristles. The flower corolla is purple or bicolored with white or pink.

References

External links

Calflora Database: ''Trifolium macraei'' (Macrae's clover, Chilean clover)Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Trifolium macraei''
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UC CalPhotos gallery: ''Trifolium macraei''
macraei Flora of California Flora of Chile Flora of Oregon Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of the Channel Islands of California Natural history of the San Francisco Bay Area Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Trifolieae-stub