Herbs perennial, 10–20 cm, glaucous, glabrous. Stems cespitose, spreading, branched proximally, sparsely branched distally. Leaves palmate; stip­ules broadly obovate, 1–2 cm, fused at base, margins slightly lobed, apex acute; petiole 2–6 cm; petiolules 1–1.5 mm; leaflets 3, blades ovate, obovate, or orbiculate, slightly over­lapping, 1–2 × 0.7–2.3 cm, base truncate to rounded, veins prominent, margins sparsely dentate, apex rounded, emarginate, surfaces glabrous. Peduncles 3–7 cm, surpassing subtending leaves. Inflorescences ter­minal, 20–30-flowered, globose, usually formed of 2 ses­sile heads, 2.5–5 × 2.5–5 cm; involucres absent. Pedicels erect, reflexed in proximalmost flowers, 1 mm; bracteoles cuplike, 0.5 mm. Flowers 15–21 mm; calyx tubular-campanulate, 9–12 mm, pilose, veins 10, tube 4.5–6 mm, lobes subequal, abaxialmost longest, subu­late, orifice open; corolla deep pink or magenta, 20–23 mm, banner tubular for most their length, 18–22 × 5–7 mm, apex flared. Legumes ellipsoid, 4–5 mm. Seeds 1 or 2, yellow-mottled, mitten-shaped, 2–3 mm, smooth.

Phenology: Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat: Dry shale hillsides on diato­maceous earth.
Elevation: 1000–2000 m.

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

Idaho, Oreg.

Discussion

Trifolium owyheense is known from about 40 populations in a small portion of east-central Malheur County in Oregon, and immediately adjacent Owyhee County in Idaho (M. Mancuso 2001).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.