Trifolium andersonii

Trifolium andersonii is a species of clover known by the common names fiveleaf clover^[3] and Anderson's clover. It is native to the western United States, particularly the Great Basin and adjacent high mountain ranges, including the Sierra Nevada. It was named after Charles Lewis Anderson by Asa Gray.^[4]

Trifolium andersonii
Trifolium andersonii photographed in Washoe County, Nevada
Conservation status
Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Faboideae
Genus:	Trifolium
Species:	T. andersonii
Binomial name
Trifolium andersonii A.Gray
Subspecies[2]
Trifolium andersonii subsp. andersonii Trifolium andersonii subsp. beatleyae J.M.Gillett Trifolium andersonii subsp. monoense (Greene) J.M.Gillett
Synonyms[2]
Species Lupinaster andersonii (A.Gray) Latsch. Trifolium andersonii var. andersonii subsp. beatleyae Trifolium andersonii var. beatleyae (J.M.Gillett) Isely subsp. monoense Trifolium monoense Greene Trifolium andersonii var. monoense (Greene) Isely Trifolium andersonii f. monoense (Greene) McDermott Lupinaster monoensis (Greene) Latsch.

Distribution

It grows in forests, mountain meadows, and talus. It has been noted to be the dominant species in dry areas on the alpine grassland steppe in the White Mountains of California.^[5]

Description

Trifolium andersonii is a perennial herb growing in a tuft or low cushion, and lacking a stem. The long-haired or woolly, silvery-gray leaves have 3 to 7 leaflets each up to 2 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a head of flowers measuring 1.5 to 2.5 centimeters wide. Each flower has a calyx of sepals with narrow, densely hairy lobes. Within the calyx is the flower corolla, which is pinkish purple or bicolored.

Various subtaxa are usually recognized by authors as varieties or subspecies.