Herbs annual, 10–80 cm, glabrous or glabrescent. Stems erect or ascending, unbranched or densely dichotomously branched. Leaves palmate; stipules ovate or lanceolate, 1–3 cm, margins entire or toothed, apex usually acuminate, sometimes 2-fid; petiole 3–15 cm; petiolules 1–1.5 mm; leaflets 3, blades broadly obovate, orbiculate, or rhombic-obovate, 0.8–4 × 0.7–3 cm, base broadly cuneate, veins obscure, thickened near leaflet margin, margins remotely dentate to densely serrulate-dentate, apex rounded or slightly retuse, surfaces glabrous or glabrate. Peduncles 3–13 cm. Inflorescences terminal or axillary, 10–30-flowered, subglobose or globose, 1–4 × 1–4 cm; involucres broadly bowl-shaped, 4–15 mm, lobes 3–8, lanceolate, acuminate, undivided or 2- or 3-fid. Pedicels straight, 1 mm; bracteoles distinct or connate, broadly ovate, 1 mm. Flowers 10–27 mm; calyx campanulate, 3–8 mm, glabrous, veins 10, tube 1.5–2.5 mm, lobes 5–10, unequal, undivided or 3-fid, long-acuminate, orifice open; corolla creamy white to yellow, pink to purple in age, keel petals rarely dark purple, 10–27 mm, banner broadly ovate, inflated in fruit, not distally twisted, 10–27 × 6–15 mm, apex rounded, erose. Legumes stipitate, linear, 7–8 mm. Seeds 3–8, gray, mottled, globose, 1.6–2 mm, reticulate. 2n = 16.

Phenology: Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat: Moist places, meadows, road­sides.
Elevation: 0–1000 m.

Distribution

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Calif., Oreg., Wash., introduced in Asia (China, Japan).

Discussion

Trifolium fucatum is known as an invasive species in Japan (T. Mito and T. Uesugi 2004) and has also been introduced in China (specimen at BM). A single old col­lection exists from British Columbia, but the species has not been collected in that province again. The Michigan record of the species is an inadvertent waif.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.