Description

General: Legume Family (Fabaceae). Clovers are perennial herbs that have palmately compound, bright green leaves with three leaflets (trifoliate). All species have the distinctive, round flower heads composed of many, small, pea-like flowers. Springbank clover is a native coastal herbaceous perennial often growing in dense patches from long, slender white rhizomes, with fibrous roots arising from their nodes. The stems, up to 80 cm, are erect to creeping. The reddish purple or magenta flowers are usually white-tipped, 12-16 mm long, with 2-5 flowers per stalk. The flower heads are 2-3 cm in diameter, and are held in a saucer-shaped involuvre with 8-12 bracts. The fruits are tiny pea-like pods containing 2-6 seeds.

Distribution: For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site. It is found from British Columbia, north as far as the Queen Charlotte Islands (possibly to the southern Alaska panhandle), south to California and Mexico, and east to the Rocky Mountains.

Habitat: Springbank clover is found in wet and periodically inundated places, such as high salt and brackish marshes, coastal dunes, wet meadows, and stream banks. It is commonly associated with Pacific silverweed. It occurs from beaches to mountain meadows, ridges, generally open, moist, or marchy places as elevations below 3200 m.