Herbs perennial, 5–50 cm, glaucous, sparsely appressed-pubescent. Stems erect or ascending, branched. Leaves palmate; stipules lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 0.3–1 cm, margins entire, apex long-acuminate; petiole 0.3–4 cm; petiolules 0.5 mm; leaflets 3, blades obovate to obcordate, 0.3–1.5 × 0.3–1.2 cm, base cuneate, veins thickened, recurved, margins den­tate, apex obtuse or emarginate, surfaces sparsely hairy abax­ially, glabrous adaxially. Peduncles geniculate proximal to flowers, inflorescence appearing inverted, 3–5 cm. Inflorescences axillary, 5–25-flowered, globose, 1.3–1.5 × 1.3–1.5 cm; involucres absent. Pedicels strongly reflexed in fruit, 2–3 mm; bracteoles minute. Flowers 11–13 mm; calyx tubular, 6–8 mm, pilose or glabrous, veins 10, tube 1.5–2 mm, lobes subequal, subulate, orifice open; corolla rose-pink or creamy white, 6–10 mm, banner ovate-oblong, 6–10 × 3 mm, equaling wing and keel petals, apex rounded or emarginate. Legumes short-stipitate, ovoid-ellipsoid, 7–10 mm. Seeds 1 or 2, brown, ovoid-ellipsoid, 2.5–3 mm, smooth. 2n = 16.

Phenology: Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat: Wooded areas, roadsides, mixed evergreen or pine forests.
Elevation: 1000–2200 m.

Distribution

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Calif., Oreg., Mexico (Baja California).

Discussion

Trifolium breweri, which ranges from Madera County, California, northward to Josephine County, Oregon, is also reported from Baja California, Mexico. It was considered by J. S. Martin (1943) to be remarkably morphologically uniform; F. E. Clements (1920) termed it a foundational species in the Sierran Montane Forest Pinus Association climax formation.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.