Trifolium in Flora of Pakistan @ efloras.org

Trifolium Linn., Sp.P1. 764. 1753. Gen.Pl.ed.5.337.1754; Baker in Hook.f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 2:86.1876.

Annual or perennial herbs. Leaf trifoliolate, rarely (not in the local species) digitately 5-9-foliolate, leaflets mostly dentate; stipules adnate to petiole. Inflorescence a sessile or pedunculate head or short raceme or solitary. Bracts present or absent. Calyx variable, accrescent or inflated, teeth equal or unequal. Corolla pink, red to purple, white or yellow, persistent. Stamens diadelphous, 9+1, vexillary stamens free, anthers uniform. Ovary with few ovules, style incurved, stigma capitate. Fruit usually included in calyx, often indehiscent, 1-2 (-12)-seeded.

A genus with about 300 species, distributed in temperate regions with centres of distribution in the Mediterranean region, Ethiopia, California and Chile; locally represented by 8 species, including 4 introduced species.

1 Calyx teeth almost twice the length of the cup (2)

+ Calyx teeth less than twice the length of the cup (almost as long as the cup (3)

2 (1) Calyx cup c. 3 mm long; inflorescence sessile or rarely pedunculate. Corolla reddish-purple to pink, rarely whitish Trifolium pratense

+ Calyx cup c. 1.5-2 mm long; inflorescence peduncled. Corolla cream coloured with pink spot on top of keel Trifolium carmeli

3 (1) Calyx becoming papery and swollen in fruit (4)

+ Calyx not becoming swollen and papery in fruit (5)

4 (3) Perennial, leaflet obtuse or retuse Trifolium fragiferum

+ Annual, leaflet generally acute Trifolium resupinatum

5 (3) Vexillum 8-13 mm long (6)

+ Vexillum c. 3-4 mm long Trifolium dubium

6 (5) Leaflets obcordate to obovate (7)

+ Leaflets elliptic to linear Trifolium alexandrianum

7 (6) Inflorescence globose Trifolium repens

+ Inflorescence oblong-ovoid to cylindrical Trifolium incarnatum

Lower Taxa

Related Synonym(s):

Related Objects

Flora of Chile

PDF
PDF

Flora of China

Trifolium (PDF)
PDF