Herbs perennial, 4–40 cm, appressed-pubescent. Stems ascending, branched from slender, rhizomatous crown. Leaves palmate; stipules ovate or lanceolate, 0.5–2 cm, margins entire proximally, 1–3-toothed distally, apex acuminate or acute; petiole 1.5–10 cm; petiolules to 1 mm; leaflets 3, blades obovate or elliptic, 0.5–4.2 × 0.3–2.5 cm, base cuneate, veins fine or slightly thickened, margins serrulate, apex acute, rounded, or retuse, apiculate, surfaces appressed-pubescent. Peduncles bent proximal to flowers, inflorescence appearing inverted, 2.5–12 cm. Inflorescences terminal, 6–30-flowered, globose, 2.3–3.1 × 2–3 cm, rachis prolonged beyond flowers; involucres absent. Pedicels reflexed in fruit, 1.5–2 mm; bracteoles minute, scalelike, membranous, to 0.3 mm. Flowers 13–17 mm, sweetly fragrant; calyx campanulate, 4.5–5 mm, appressed-pubescent, veins 5, tube 2 mm, lobes subequal, linear, orifice open; corolla white, sometimes with purplish or buff-pink veins, 12–15 mm, banner elliptic, 12–15 × 4 mm, longer than wing and keel petals, apex tapered, sometimes retuse. Legumes oblong to subglobose, 5 mm. Seeds 1 or 2, dark brown, ± globose, 1.2 mm, smooth. 2n = 16, 32.

Phenology: Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat: Clearings in conifer forests, moist gravelly, rocky, or clay soils, grassy hillsides and gullies, prairies.
Elevation: 800–1500 m.

Distribution

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Idaho, Mont., Oreg., Wash.

Discussion

Trifolium latifolium, which is found in northwestern Montana, northern Idaho, northeastern Oregon, and southeastern Washington, is morphologically allied to T. longipes (J. M. Gillett 1969) and molecular phyloge­netic studies place it as sister to T. longipes (N. W. Ellison et al. 2006).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.