Trifolium depauperatum

Trifolium depauperatum is a species of clover known by the common names cowbag clover,^[1] poverty clover,^[2] and balloon sack clover.

Trifolium depauperatum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Faboideae
Genus:	Trifolium
Species:	T. depauperatum
Binomial name
Trifolium depauperatum Desv.

Distribution

The plant is native to western North America from British Columbia to California, as well as to western South America in Peru and Chile. It is a common plant of many types of habitat, including coastal prairie and mixed evergreen forest.^[3]

Description

Trifolium depauperatum is a small annual herb growing upright or decumbent in form. The leaves are made up of oval leaflets up to 2 centimeters long which are smooth, toothed, lobed, or blunt-tipped. The inflorescence is a head of flowers up to 1.5 centimeters long. The flower has a pinkish purple white-tipped corolla up to a centimeter long. It becomes inflated as the fruit developed.

Subspecies

Trifolium depauperatum has several varieties, which can include:

• Trifolium depauperatum var. amplectens — Balloon sack clover, Pale bladder clover.^[4]
• Trifolium depauperatum var. depauperatum — Cowbag clover.^[5]
• Trifolium depauperatum var. hydrophilum
• Trifolium depauperatum var. truncatum — Dwarf sack clover.^[6]