Trifolium breweri facts for kids

Trifolium breweri, also known as forest clover or Brewer's clover, is a type of clover plant. It grows year after year, so it's a perennial. You can find it in forests with mixed evergreen trees and along the coast in conifer forests. It lives in Southern Oregon and California.

This plant belongs to the Fabaceae family. This family is famous for plants like peas and other legumes. The name of its group, Trifolium, means "three leaf." Clovers are found all over the world, but most of them grow in the Northern Hemisphere.

What Does Forest Clover Look Like?

Trifolium breweri is a perennial herb that forms a mat on the ground. It can grow straight up or spread out low. The plant has many tiny hairs on its stems and leaves.

Leaves and Flowers

The leaves grow directly from the stem. Each leaf has three small, obovate (egg-shaped) leaflets. These leaflets are usually 5 to 20 millimeters long. Their edges can be smooth or have small teeth, which is called serrate.

The flowers grow in a cluster that looks like an umbel (like an umbrella's spokes). There are usually 5 to 15 flowers in each cluster. These clusters often tilt to one side. The flowers are small and have two matching halves, meaning they are bilaterally symmetrical. Their colors can range from yellowish-white to pink-lavender.

Each flower has five hairy, lobed parts called a calyx. The petals are separate from each other. The main petal, called the banner petal, is shaped like a lanceolate (spear tip). The side petals are narrow and can be oblanceolate (reverse spear tip) or oblong. The tips of the side petals and the keel (bottom petals) are blunt or rounded.

Inside the flower, there are ten stamens (the parts that make pollen). Nine of these stamens are joined together, and one is free. After a flower is pollinated, it produces a fruit with one seed. This fruit sticks out from the flower's petals.

Where Does Forest Clover Live?

Trifolium breweri is a very adaptable plant. It grows well in mixed evergreen forests and coastal conifer forests. You can also find it in open areas and even along roadsides. It grows at different heights, from 200 meters to 1800 meters above sea level.

Where Can You Find Forest Clover?

Trifolium breweri is found in Southern Oregon and California. It grows in mountain ranges like the Klamath Range, the Cascades Range, and the Sierra Nevada.

Is Forest Clover Safe?

Yes, this plant is considered safe and common within the areas where it grows. It is not currently at risk of disappearing.

What Do Scientists Study About Clovers?

Scientists often study plants like Trifolium breweri to learn more about them.

Studies on Clover History

In 2013, a study looked at clovers found in mountainous regions of the "New World" (North and South America). Trifolium breweri was briefly mentioned as being an older type of clover within a group of clovers called the Involucrarium clade. This means it's related to some South American clover species.

Another study looked at the family tree of the entire Trifolium (clover) group. Scientists collected and studied 218 different types of Trifolium in California. Their findings suggested that the clover group likely started in the Mediterranean region a long time ago, possibly in the Early Miocene era. They also believe that all the clover species in the Americas came from a single group that traveled there. However, clovers in sub-Saharan Africa seem to have arrived from three separate journeys.