Herbs annual, 5–25 cm, pilose. Stems erect or ascending, branched. Leaves palmate; stip­ules oblong to ovate, 0.8–1 cm, margins slightly denticulate or entire, apex acute to acuminate; petiole 1–5 cm; petiolules to 1 mm; leaflets 3, blades obovate, 0.7–1.4 × 0.3–0.8 cm, base broadly cuneate, veins thickened, recurved, margins slightly denticulate, apex rounded or retuse, surfaces pubescent abaxially, gla­brous adaxially. Peduncles geniculate proximal to flow­ers, inflorescence appearing inverted, 2.5–11 cm. Inflo­rescences axillary or terminal, 5–15-flowered, globose or subglobose, 1–2 × 1.5–2 cm; involucres floral bracts forming a small, scarious involucre. Pedicels curved, 3–4 mm; bracteoles broadly rhombic, membranous, to 0.5 mm, margins dentate. Flowers 7–9 mm; calyx campanulate, markedly bilabiate, venation strongly reticulate, 5–6 mm, sparsely pilose marginally, veins 5, reticulate in lobes, tube 0.7–1 mm, lobes unequal, abaxial 3 triangular-ovate, 2–3 mm, central abaxial lobe nearly linear, pubescent only along margins, adax­ial 2 obovate, 5 mm, orifice open; corolla white, tinged with pink or lavender, darkening in age, 6–8 mm, banner broadly ovate, 6–8 × 5–6 mm, apex rounded, denticulate. Legumes oblong-ovoid, 3–4 mm. Seeds 2–6, yellow, globose to mitten-shaped, 1.1–1.6 mm, rugose. 2n = 16.

Phenology: Flowering Mar–May.
Habitat: Sandy prairies, open woods.
Elevation: 0–100 m.

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

Loading map...

Ark., La., Tex.

Discussion

Trifolium bejariense ranges in east-central Texas from Hunt and Lamar counties in the north, southward to Fort Bend and Harris counties, and westward to Travis and Wilson counties; the species is also known from Acadia and Rapides parishes in Louisiana, and Nevada County in Arkansas.

L. F. McDermott reduced Trifolium bejariense to T. carolinianum forma bejariense (Moricand) McDermott.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.