Herbs perennial, 5–25 cm, vil­lous. Stems erect or ascending, branched. Leaves palmate; stip­ules ovate, obovate, or oblong, 1–3 cm, margins entire, irregu­larly lobed, or ser­rate, apex acute or acuminate; petiole 1–14 cm; petio­lules 0.9–1.2 mm; leaflets (5–)7–9, blades broadly to narrowly obovate, often folded, 1–2.7 × 0.4–1.1 cm, base cuneate, veins thickened, especially distally, mar­gins serrulate, apex rounded or truncate, apiculate, surfaces villous abaxially, sparsely villous to glabrate adaxially. Pedun­cles 2–8 cm. Inflorescences terminal, 20–32-flowered, globose or ovoid-ellipsoid, 2.5–8 × 3–7 cm; involucres absent. Pedicels erect, 1–1.5 mm; bracteoles broadly ovate, membranous, to 0.5 mm, truncate. Flowers 20–30 mm; calyx campanulate, 10–22 mm, villous, veins 10–15, tube 2.5–4 mm, lobes subequal, subulate, plumose, orifice open; corolla white, creamy white, or pinkish, keel petals deep pink, 20–28 mm, banner ovate or oblong, 20–28 × 10–13 mm, apex rounded or slightly emarginate. Legumes ovoid, 4–5 mm. Seeds 1 or 2, yellow or reddish, mitten-shaped to ellipsoid, 2.5–3 mm, smooth. 2n = 32, 48.

Phenology: Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat: Rocky places, hard, compacted clay-gumbo, lava beds, sage-covered slopes, full sun.
Elevation: 80–2500 m.

Distribution

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Calif., Idaho, Nev., Oreg., Wash.

Discussion

Trifolium macrocephalum has the largest inflo­rescences of any clover. Trifolium megacephalum Nuttall (1818) is an illegitimate replacement name for Lupinaster macrocephalum Pursh.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.