Herbs annual, 15–40 cm, gla­brous. Stems erect or ascending, branched. Leaves palmate; stip­ules triangular-lanceolate, 0.7–1.5 cm, margins entire, apex stramineous, subulate; petiole 1.5–5 cm; petiolules 1 mm; leaflets 3, blades obovate, oblong, or elliptic, 0.8–1.8 × 0.4–0.9 cm, base cuneate, veins prominent, margins dentate-spinulose, apex rounded to emarginate, surfaces glabrous. Peduncles 0.5–2 cm. Inflorescences axillary, 15–30-flowered, globose, 0.8–1 × 0.8–1 cm; involucres absent. Pedicels recurved in fruit, 1 mm; bracteoles folded, linear-subulate, 4–5 mm. Flowers 4–5 mm; calyx obconic, 4–5 mm, glabrous, veins 10, tube 1.3–2.1 mm, lobes unequal, longer than tube, subulate, recurved in fruit, orifice open; corolla white or pink, 3.2–4.5 mm, banner ovate, 3–4 × 1–2 mm, apex acute to rounded, entire to slightly erose distally. Legumes ovoid-oblong, 4.2–5.5 mm. Seeds 2, brown, ovoid-reniform, 1 mm, minutely granulose. 2n = 16.

Phenology: Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat: Roadsides, lawns.
Elevation: 100–800 m.

Distribution

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Introduced; Calif., Oreg., Wash., s Europe, w Asia, intro­duced also in s Africa, Pacific Islands (New Zealand), Australia.

Discussion

Trifolium retusum is a very recent introduction in the flora area; it is known from relatively few counties in the Pacific Coast states.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.