Shield clover
| Shield clover | ||||||||||||
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Shield clover ( Trifolium clypeatum ) |
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| Trifolium clypeatum | ||||||||||||
| L. |
Shield clover ( Trifolium clypeatum ), also called helmet clover , is a species of plant from the genus clover ( Trifolium ). It is placed in the genus in the Trifolium section , Clypeata subsection .
description
The shield clover is an annual , herbaceous plant that reaches heights of between 10 and 30 centimeters. The stem axis is densely hairy and widely branched. It is erect or ascending.
The leaves have long stalks. The leaves are three-pinned, the individual pinnacles between 1 and 3 inches long and 0.5 to 2 inches wide. The blades are obovate and hairy. The leaf margin is serrated at least in the upper part. The upper leaves are prickly. The leaf veins stand out clearly. The stipules are cuticle-like, almost ovate and with clearly visible veins. The free part of the stipules is as long or longer than the fused part.
The inflorescences are long-stalked and many-flowered. They are 2 to 3 inches long and between 1 and 2.5 inches wide. The shape is obovate. In the anthesis the inflorescence is rather wide, in the fruit ripeness it contracts more. The calyx is green and in the lower part tubular with clear veins. The calyx teeth are leaf-like, triangular to lanceolate, hairy with bristles. The lower calyx tooth is much longer than the other calyx teeth.
The crown is white to pink and two to three times longer than the calyx. The flag is egg-shaped to oval and truncated or slightly notched. It is at least 25% longer than the shuttle and the wings.
When the fruit is ripe, the calyx tube thickens like a bell and closes at the throat with thickenings. The calyx teeth are wide and star-shaped. The legumes are cuticle-like, egg-shaped and clearly ribbed. They are solitary, up to 4 millimeters long and open terminally. The seeds are about 3 millimeters long and brown in color. They are wedge-shaped to lens-shaped.
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 16.
distribution
The shield clover is native to fields and roadsides. The distribution area includes Greece, the Aegean Islands, Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine.
ecology
The shield clover is self-pollinating .
literature
- Michael Zohary, David Heller: The Genus Trifolium . The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities , Jerusalem 1984, ISBN 965-208-056-X , pp. 505 f .
- John M. Gillett, Norman L. Taylor: The World of Clovers . Iowa State University Press , Ames 2001, ISBN 0-8138-2986-0 , pp. 114 f .
Web links
- Entry of the genus in LegumeWeb
- Thomas Meyer, Michael Hassler: Mediterranean flora. [1]