''Trifolium wormskioldii'' 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 ...

''Trifolium wormskioldii''.
The Nature Conservancy. native to the western half of North America. Its common names include cows clover, coast clover, sand clover, seaside clover, springbank clover, and Wormskjold's clover.

Description

''Trifolium wormskioldii'', a

legume Legumes are plants in the pea family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consum ...

, is a

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

herb sometimes taking a matlike form, with decumbent or upright stems. The

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are made up of leaflets measuring long. The lower

stipule In botany, a stipule is an outgrowth typically borne on both sides (sometimes on just one side) of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole (botany), petiole). They are primarily found among dicots and rare among monocots. Stipules are considered part ...

s are tipped with bristles and the upper stipules may be toothed. The rounded inflorescences are wide. The

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 are bristle-tipped. The corollas are pinkish purple or magenta with white tips.

Etymology

The species was given its scientific name in honour of the Danish botanist Morten Wormskjold.Charters, M. L
"''wormskioldii''".
California Plant Names: Latin and Greek Meanings and Derivations.

Distribution and habitat

This plant is native to the western half of North America from

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

, through

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 ...

, to

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. It is a

herb that grows in many locales, from beaches to mountain ridges, below about in elevation.Jepson ''T. wormskioldii''
/ref> Habitats it grows in include

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant plant community, community found primarily in California, southern Oregon, and northern Baja California. It is shaped by a Mediterranean climate (mild wet winters and hot dry summers) and infrequent, high-intens ...

, oak woodland,

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

, yellow pine forest, red fir forest, lodgepole forest, subalpine forest, and

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

−

riparian A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. In some regions, the terms riparian woodland, riparian forest, riparian buffer zone, riparian corridor, and riparian strip are used to characterize a ripar ...

Uses

Many Native American groups of western North America use this clover for food. The herbage and flowers are eaten raw, sometimes

salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

ed. The roots are commonly steamed or boiled and eaten with fish, fish eggs, and fish grease.''Trifolium wormskioldii''.
Native American Ethnobotany. University of Michigan, Dearborn. This species is host to the

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...

of the Western cloudywing butterfly ('' Thorybes diversus'').''Thorybes diversus''.
Butterflies and Moths of North America.

Propagation

The seeds germinate at 75F without the need for cold treatment or other dormancy breaking mechanism.

References

External links

Calflora Database: ''Trifolium wormskioldii'' (Coast clover, Cow clover, Springbank clover)Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Trifolium wormskioldii''

USDA Plants Profile: ''Trifolium wormskioldii'' (cows clover) UC CalPhotos gallery: ''Trifolium wormskioldii''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5234176 wormskioldii Flora of the Northwestern United States Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of Northeastern Mexico Flora of Northwestern Mexico Flora of Alaska Flora of British Columbia Flora of California Flora of New Mexico Flora of Texas 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 Plants used in Native American cuisine Taxa named by Johann Georg Christian Lehmann