Leiberg's clover facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Leiberg's clover |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Trifolium
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| Species: |
leibergii
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Trifolium leibergii, also known as Leiberg's clover, is a special kind of flowering plant. It belongs to the legume family, which includes plants like peas and beans. This unique clover grows naturally in parts of Oregon and Nevada in the United States.
What Leiberg's Clover Looks Like
Leiberg's clover is a clover plant that lives for many years, which means it's a perennial herb. It usually grows to be about 10 to 15 centimeters tall. That's roughly the length of a pen! The whole plant is covered in soft, gray hairs, giving it a slightly fuzzy look.
Its leaves are interesting because each one is made up of three smaller parts called leaflets. These leaflets have a tiny, sharp point at their tips. The flowers of Leiberg's clover grow together in a cluster, forming a "head." These flowers are usually a creamy white color, but they can also have hints of pink or purple. You can usually see these pretty flowers blooming in June and July.
Where Leiberg's Clover Lives
This special clover has a very particular home. It likes to grow in soil that comes from tuff. Tuff is a type of rock made from volcanic ash that has hardened over time. Imagine ash from a volcano turning into rock!
Leiberg's clover often grows in cracks in this rocky soil. This can make it look like the plants are growing in neat, straight lines. There aren't many other plants growing in these areas. However, you might sometimes find it growing near another plant called Artemisia arbuscula, which is a type of sagebrush.
Scientists think that Leiberg's clover might have a disjunct distribution. This means its populations are spread out in different areas, rather than all together. For example, there are groups of these plants in southern Oregon and northern Nevada, with a big gap of about 300 kilometers in between. It's possible that there are more hidden groups of Leiberg's clover in that gap, just waiting to be discovered!
