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''Trifolium thompsonii'' is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Thompson's clover. It is
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to
Washington state Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...
in the United States, where it occurs in two counties.''Trifolium thompsonii''.
Center for Plant Conservation.
''Trifolium thompsonii''.
NatureServe.
One of the largest populations occurs in the Entiat Slopes Natural Area Preserve in Chelan County.Washington State Department of Natural Resources
Entiat Slopes NAP.
Accessed April 13, 2014.
This is a large
clover Clovers, also called trefoils, are plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution with the highest diversit ...
with a thick stem growing up to 60 centimeters tall. The leaves are divided into three to eight serrated leaflets. The
inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...
is a round head of several bright red-lavender flowers. Blooming occurs in May through July. Pollinators include
bumblebees A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only Extant taxon, extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct r ...
and the Greenish Blue, a butterfly. This species grows in several types of habitat. One study identified four
plant association A plant community is a collection or association of plant species within a designated geographical unit, which forms a relatively uniform patch, distinguishable from neighboring patches of different vegetation types. The components of each plant ...
s that include the clover. The ''
Pseudotsuga menziesii The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is the tallest tree in the Pinaceae family. It is native plant, native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Dougl ...
''/'' Calamagrostis rubescens'' forest habitat is a cooler, moister area with associated species such as ''
Spiraea betulifolia ''Spiraea betulifolia'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Rosaceae Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is derived from the type genus '' Rosa''. ...
'', '' Penstemon fruticosus'', '' Balsamorhiza sagittata'', and ''
Achillea millefolium ''Achillea millefolium'', commonly known as yarrow () or common yarrow, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. Growing to tall, it is characterized by small whitish flowers, a tall stem of fernlike leaves, and a pungent odor. The plan ...
''. The '' Artemisia vaseyana''/'' Agropyron spicatum'' association includes ''
Artemisia tripartita ''Artemisia tripartita'' is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name threetip sagebrush. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Nevada and Montana to Colorado. It covers about 8.4 million ...
'', '' Poa secunda'', and '' Festuca idahoensis''. A third association, the ''
Pinus ponderosa ''Pinus ponderosa'', commonly known as the ponderosa pine, bull pine, blackjack pine, western yellow-pine, or filipinus pine, is a very large pine tree species of variable habitat native to mountainous regions of western North America. It is th ...
''/''Agropyron spicatum'' has sparse tree cover, a grass
understory In forestry and ecology, understory (American English), or understorey (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), also known as underbrush or undergrowth, includes plant life growing beneath the Canopy (biology), forest ca ...
, and no tall shrubs. Associated species include ''
Eriogonum heracleoides ''Eriogonum heracleoides'' (common names; parsnipflower buckwheat, whorled buckwheat, and Wyeth buckwheat) is a plant of western North America that has many flowering clusters which are usually cream colored, or off-white. It can usually be found ...
'', '' Phlox longifolia'', '' Haplopappus stenophyllus'', and '' Antennaria rosea''. The ''
Artemisia tridentata '' Artemisia tridentata'', commonly called big sagebrush,MacKay, Pam (2013), ''Mojave Desert Wildflowers'', 2nd ed., , p. 264. Great Basin sagebrush or simply sagebrush (one of several related species of this name), is an aromatic shrub from the ...
''/''Agropyron spicatum'' association is a drier habitat which includes many
forb A forb or phorb is a herbaceous flowering plant that is not a graminoid (grass, sedge, or rush). The term is used in botany and in vegetation ecology especially in relation to grasslands and understory. Typically, these are eudicots without woo ...
s such as '' Allium acuminatum'', '' Agoseris grandiflora'', '' Lomatium nudicaule'', and '' Lupinus sericeus''.Scherer, G., et al. (1996)
Habitat characteristics and morphological differences of ''Trifolium thompsonii'' populations.
''Northwest Science'' 70(3) 242-51.
A
Research Natural Area Research Natural Area is a designation for certain protected areas in the United States. Research Natural Areas (RNAs) are part of a nationwide network of ecological areas set aside for both research and education. The network includes areas ma ...
, the Thompson Clover Research Natural Area, was established in 1977 in the
Wenatchee National Forest Wenatchee ( ) is the county seat and most populous city of Chelan County, Washington, United States. The population within the city limits in 2010 was 31,925, and has increased to 35,508 as of 2020. Located in the north-central part of the stat ...
for the study and protection of this species.Thompson Clover Research Natural Area.


References


External links


Washington Burke Museum
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7841552 thompsonii Flora of Washington (state)