CLUSTERED CLOVER

Trifolium glomeratum

Pea Family [Fabaceae]

month8jun month8june month8jul month8july

status
statusZnative
flower
flower8white
flower
flower8pink
morph
morph8zygo
petals
petalsZ5
type
typeZclustered
type
typeZglobed
stem
stem8round
rarity
rarityZscarce

1st June 2008, Arreton Cross, IoW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
It is the flowerheads which are sometimes clustered together (in pairs or 3's) in Clustered Clover. [But Twin-headed Clover (Trifolium bocconei) can also have two flowerheads in close proximity].


1st June 2008, Arreton Cross, IoW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
The plant is procumbent to upright and up to 25cm long.


1st June 2008, Arreton Cross, IoW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
The flowers are pink-purple to white and 4 to 5mm in an approximately globular cluster. There are between 3 and 10 globular clusters (or more) on a single plant (somewhere...).


1st June 2008, Arreton Cross, IoW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
The striking feature to your Author are the green sepal teeth which are splayed out and prominently visible within the flowerhead, unlike most other Clovers (strange that the books don't mention this).


1st June 2008, Arreton Cross, IoW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
The globular clusters are in either terminal positions on the flower stalks, or axillary positions. Presumably the occurrence of flowerheads very closely positioned to another is the reason this plant got its name (a diagnostic feature).


1st June 2008, Arreton Cross, IoW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
Another ancillary flowerhead in close proximity to one on a main flowerstalk, this one still developing.


1st June 2008, Arreton Cross, IoW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
Leaflets here have a red edge - but your Author does not know if this is indicative or diagnostic (no one mentions it, but half the images on the internet have them - maybe its also weather related?).


22nd May 2011, Redcliff, IoW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
There may be a paler marking in the central area of the leaflets.


22nd May 2011, Redcliff, IoW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
When ripe, the fruits will be found enclosed within the calyx (sepal cups).


18th June 2019, grassy verge, Ainsdale, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD


18th June 2019, grassy verge, Ainsdale, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
Some leaves have a small pale grey-green spot on them.


18th June 2019, grassy verge, Ainsdale, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD


18th June 2019, grassy verge, Ainsdale, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
The stems have two or three flowerheads each. A fresh flower at the summit with two spent, going to seed flowerheads further down.


18th June 2019, grassy verge, Ainsdale, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD


18th June 2019, grassy verge, Ainsdale, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
This specimen has about 11 flowers.


18th June 2019, grassy verge, Ainsdale, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
The flowers have a pale pinkish-white hue.


18th June 2019, grassy verge, Ainsdale, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
The 5 sepal teeth are much longer than wide and splayed outwards. The leaf teeth are forwardly-directed and taper to a point, as does the terminal tooth (with an acuminate point). The banners are obovate in shape (long and narrow, tapering into the sepal tube (rear flower; all the other flowers are still closed and this seems to be quite normal - only a few ever open).


18th June 2019, grassy verge, Ainsdale, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
The sepal tube has striking red candy-stripes (at least on this specimen).


Not to be semantically confused with : Clustered Barberry (Berberis aggregata), Clustered Bellflower (Campanula glomerata), Clustered Dock (Rumex conglomeratus) nor Clustered Stonewort (Tolypella glomerata) [plants with similar names]

Some similarities to : Suffocated Clover (Trifolium suffocatum) in that they both have stipules which are usually entire and that neither the teeth nor the leaflets have glands. But Clustered Clover has a larger corolla (4-7mm) [as opposed to Suffocated Clovers 3-4mm]; the corolla is shorter than the calyx [longer in Suffocated Clover] and the flower racemes are dispersed along the stems [rather than concentrated at the base of the plant in Suffocated Clover].

Slight resemblance to : Twin-headed Clover (Trifolium bocconei) which has two flowerheads in very close proximity.

Uniquely identifiable characteristics

Distinguishing Feature : see captions

It likes to inhabit grassy places with short turf on sandy soil near the sea. It is found in the South and East coasts of England, north to Norfolk, and in the Channel Islands. It doesn't grow anywhere near your Author - apart from a recently found outpost in Ainsdale. It is a rare-ish [RR]


  Trifolium glomeratum  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Fabaceae  

Distribution
 family8Pea family8Fabaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Trifolium
Trifolium
(Clovers)

CLUSTERED CLOVER

Trifolium glomeratum

Pea Family [Fabaceae]