Fabaceae
Trifolium

Trifolium rueppellianum Fresen.

First published in Flora 22: 51 (1839)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Nigeria to Eritrea and S. Tropical Africa. It is an annual or perennial and grows primarily in the subtropical biome.

Descriptions

Leguminosae, various authors. Flora Zambesiaca 3:7. 2003

Morphology General Habit
Annual herb.
Morphology Stem
Stems erect, sometimes prostrate, glabrous, not rooting at the nodes.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves petiolate; leaflets elliptic or obovate, rounded, truncate or less often retuse at the apex, cuneate at the base, glabrous, the lateral nerves c. 10 on each side, ending in strongly developed, subulate teeth up to 0.5 mm long; petioles up to 5 cm long in the lower leaves, c. 3 mm long and ± wholly adnate to the stipules in the upper leaves; stipules up to 15 mm long, acuminate at the apex, 3–4-nerved.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence ± globose, 15–30-flowered; peduncle many times longer than the subtending petiole, pilose near the top; bracts up to 3 mm long, linear-lanceolate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers with pedicels up to 2 mm long, shorter than the calyx tube, glabrous or pilose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx glabrous, except sometimes for a few hairs on the margin; tube pale, strongly 11-nerved, the commissural nerves always undivided to the top; teeth 2–5 mm long, abruptly narrowed near the base, subulate for most of their length, exceeding the corolla.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla pink or purple; standard oblong, rounded at the apex; wings with blade longer than the claw, with a well developed auricle.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod 3–4 × 2 mm, 2–3 seeded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds ovoid, brown.
[FZ]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Afromontane (upland) shrubland ('moorland')., Afromontane grassland, Afromontane (upland) anthropic landscapes
Morphology General Habit
Annual/Perennial, Not climbing, Herb
[ILDIS]

Leguminosae, J. B. Gillett, R. M. Polhill & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1971

Morphology General Habit
Annual; stems glabrous, erect or, less often, prostrate, not rooting at the nodes.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves glabrous or nearly so; stipules up to 15 mm. long, with 3–4 nerves, united to petiole for ±two-thirds of their length, the tips entire, acuminate; petiole only a few mm. long and sometimes wholly adnate to the stipules in the upper leaves, up to 5 cm. long in the lower leaves; leaflets oval, oblong or obovate, rarely broadly lanceolate, less than 3 times as long as wide, rounded, truncate or less often emarginate at the tip, rarely acute, up to 24 mm. long and 14 mm. wide; teeth strongly developed, up to 0·5 mm. long, often with subulate tips; main nerves 10–15 on each side, at 40–50° with the midrib.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences ± globose, typically 15–30-flowered and ± 17 mm. across, sometimes few-flowered in stunted plants especially at high altitudes; peduncle pilose near the top, many times longer than the subtending petiole; bracts minute or linear-lanceolate, up to 3 mm. long; pedicel glabrous or pilose, up to 2 mm. long, shorter than the calyx-tube, suberect in fruit.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx glabrous, except sometimes for a few hairs on the margin, the tube pale, rounded at the base, strongly 11-nerved, the com-missural nerves almost always undivided to the top; teeth abruptly narrowed near the base, subulate for most of their length, 2–5 mm. long, sometimes exceeding the corolla.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla purple or rarely white; wings with a well-developed auricle.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary glabrous; ovules 2–3, less often 4 or 5.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod 3–4 by ± 2 mm.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds oval, brown, ± 1·5 by 1 mm.
[FTEA]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • International Legume Database and Information Service

    • International Legume Database and Information Service (ILDIS) V10.39 Nov 2011
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0