''Trifolium variegatum'' is a species of

clover Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus h ...

known by the common name whitetip clover. It is native to western North America from southern

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S ...

and

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

, where it occurs in many types of habitat.

Description

''Trifolium variegatum'' is a variable plant, taking many forms. It is an annual or possibly sometimes perennial herb growing prostrate to upright in form, thin to fleshy and usually hairless in texture. The leaves are made up of usually three variously shaped leaflets with serrated edges. The

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. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed ...

is a headlike cluster containing a single flower or many flowers in a cluster over 2 centimeters wide. At its base is a fused involucre of bracts. 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 The term ''sepalum'' was coined ...

s narrowing to bristle-like tips. The flower corolla is generally purplish in color and usually has a white tip. It grows in habitats with dry, sandy soil to moist meadows.

References

External links

Calflora Database: ''Trifolium variegatum'' (Variegated clover, whitetip clover)Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Trifolium variegatum''USDA Plants Profile for ''Trifolium variegatum'' (whitetip clover)Washington Burke MuseumUC CalPhotos gallery: ''Trifolium variegatum''
variegatum Flora of the West Coast of the United States Flora of Alaska Flora of British Columbia Flora of California Flora of Baja California Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges Natural history of the Transverse Ranges Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Trifolieae-stub