WILDFLOWERS OF NEW MEXICO

 
 

Spreading by creeping, rooting stems reaching 2 feet long, this mat-forming lawn weed from Europe has conquered the yards and roadsides of America. It is planted as a prime honey source for domestic bees, as a pasture crop for forage, and a covercrop to restore soil nitrogen in depleted farmland. Note the round cluster of small, white, pea-like flowers, and the compound palmate (leaflets spread like fingers on a palm) leaves with three leaflets, four if you’re lucky.


FLOWER: June–September. Spherical, many-flowered heads 1 inch diameter (25 mm) grow on stems (peduncles) 4–10 inches long (10–25 cm); each flower, 1/4–7/16 inch long (6–11 mm), has a small upper banner petal, 2 side petals and 2 center petals together shaped like a keel.


LEAVES: Alternate or clustered with 2–8 inch long (5–20 cm) stems (petioles); leaf palmate with 3 oval to elliptic leaflets 3/8–3/4 inch long (1–2 cm).


HABITAT: Damp soils of lawns, roadsides, fields, meadows, disturbed areas; widespread across many habitat types.


ELEVATION: 3,500–10,000 feet.


RANGE: Widespread and naturalized in every state.


SIMILAR SPECIES: The three palmate leaflets and white flower head distinguish this species.


NM COUNTIES: Widespread in NM, expected in all counties.

 

WHITE  (THREE-LEAF)  CLOVER

TRIFOLIUM  REPENS

Legume Family, Fabaceae

Perennial herb; introduced, naturalized

THE CONTENTS OF THIS WEBSITE ARE COPYRIGHTED AND CANNOT BE USED

WITHOUT PERMISSION OF GEORGE OXFORD MILLER

HOME          SCIENTIFIC NAME         FAMILY NAME          COMMON NAME       SEARCH YELLOW          SEARCH RED        


SEARCH BLUE            SEARCH WHITE         SEARCH CACTI         SEARCH LEAFLESS         GLOSSARY

EMAIL ME

Flowers have a large upper banner petal (upper arrow), 2 smaller side petals (middle arrow), and 2 folded together like a ship’s keel (bottom arrow).

Leaves have 3 oval leaflets, often with a whitish V-shaped mark. 

Spreading stems root at the nodes and can form mat-like colonies over large areas.