Herbs annual, 4–40 cm, gla­brous. Stems erect or ascend­ing, branched. Leaves palmate; stipules lanceolate, 0.5–2.5 cm, margins entire or slightly ser­rate, apex acuminate; petiole 0.5–5 cm; petiolules to 1 mm; leaflets 3, blades narrowly elliptic or lanceolate, 0.8–3 × 0.3–0.8 cm, base cuneate, veins thickened, margins setose-serrulate, apex acute, surfaces glabrous. Peduncles 1–5 cm. Inflorescences axillary or terminal, 10–20-flowered, globose to sub­globose, 0.5–2 × 0.5–2 cm, rachis prolonged beyond flowers; involucres absent. Pedicels becoming dramati­cally reflexed, 3–4 mm; bracteoles low, broadly trian­gular, membranous, to 0.5 mm. Flowers 5–9 mm; calyx narrowly campanulate, 5–6.5 mm, glabrous, veins 10, tube 2–3 mm, lobes unequal, narrowly triangular to acicular, margins green or purple, membranous, orifice open; corolla pink or purple, 5–9 mm, banner narrowly elliptic-oblong, 5–9 × 3–4 mm, apex narrowly rounded to acute. Legumes ovoid-ellipsoid, 4–6 mm. Seeds 1 or 2, yellow, purple-mottled, mitten-shaped, 2 mm, smooth. 2n = 16.

Phenology: Flowering Mar–Jun.
Habitat: Thin soils on slopes.
Elevation: 0–50 m.

Distribution

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Calif., Mexico (Baja California).

Discussion

Trifolium palmeri is known from the islands off the coast of southern California and Baja California, Mex­ico. It was long considered a variety of T. gracilentum but molecular analyses support its recognition as dis­tinct (N. W. Ellison et al. 2006).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.