Whitetip clover facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Whitetip clover |
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| Trifolium variegatum at Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, California, USA | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Trifolium
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| Species: |
variegatum
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| Synonyms | |
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Trifolium appendiculatum |
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Trifolium variegatum is a type of plant often called whitetip clover. It's a beautiful wild flower found in western North America. You can see it growing from southern Alaska and British Columbia all the way down to Baja California. It likes to grow in many different kinds of places, from sunny fields to damp areas.
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What is Whitetip Clover?
Whitetip clover is a very adaptable plant. This means it can look quite different depending on where it grows.
How Does it Grow?
Whitetip clover is usually an annual plant. This means it lives for only one growing season, from seed to flower to seed, and then it dies. Sometimes, it might be a perennial, which means it lives for more than two years.
It grows as a herb, which means it has soft, green stems, not woody ones like a tree. It can grow flat along the ground (this is called prostrate) or stand upright. Its stems can be thin or a bit thick and fleshy. Usually, the plant doesn't have many hairs on it.
What Do Its Leaves Look Like?
The leaves of the whitetip clover are usually made up of three smaller leaf parts, called leaflets. These leaflets can be different shapes. The edges of the leaflets are often serrated, which means they have small, saw-like teeth.
What Do Its Flowers Look Like?
The flowers of the whitetip clover grow in a special group called an inflorescence. This group looks like a head or cluster. It can have just one flower or many flowers packed together. This cluster can be more than 2 centimeters wide.
At the very bottom of the flower cluster, there's a special protective layer called an involucre. This involucre is made of small, leaf-like parts called bracts that are joined together.
Each individual flower has a calyx, which is a cup-like part made of small leaves called sepals. These sepals get narrower towards their tips, becoming like tiny bristles. The main part of the flower, called the corolla, is usually purplish. It often has a distinct white tip, which is how the plant gets its common name, "whitetip clover."
