Cowbag clover facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cowbag clover |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Trifolium
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| Species: |
depauperatum
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Trifolium depauperatum is a type of clover plant. It has a few interesting common names like cowbag clover, poverty clover, and balloon sack clover.
Where It Grows
This clover plant naturally grows in western North America. You can find it from British Columbia in Canada all the way down to California in the USA.
It also grows in western South America, specifically in Peru and Chile. This plant is quite common in many different places, like grassy coastal areas and mixed evergreen forests.
What It Looks Like
Trifolium depauperatum is a small plant that lives for about one year (it's an annual herb). It can grow straight up or spread out along the ground.
Its leaves are made of small, oval-shaped leaflets. These leaflets can be up to 2 centimeters long. They might be smooth, have small teeth, have rounded edges (lobed), or have blunt tips.
The flowers grow in a cluster called an inflorescence, which looks like a small head of flowers. This cluster can be up to 1.5 centimeters long. Each flower has a pinkish-purple part with a white tip, called a corolla, which is about one centimeter long. As the plant's fruit grows, this part of the flower puffs up like a small balloon!
Different Types
Trifolium depauperatum has several different varieties, which are like different versions of the same plant. Some of these include:
- Trifolium depauperatum var. amplectens — Also known as Balloon sack clover or Pale bladder clover.
- Trifolium depauperatum var. depauperatum — This is the Cowbag clover.
- Trifolium depauperatum var. hydrophilum
- Trifolium depauperatum var. truncatum — Called Dwarf sack clover.
See also
In Spanish: Trifolium depauperatum para niños
