[Clovers: The Genus Trifolium East of the Cascade Mountains. of Oregon and Washington]
Woollyhead Clover, Woolly-head Clover
Trifolium eriocephalum ssp. arcuatum
Synonyms: Trifolium arcuatum, Trifolium eriocephalum var. arcuatum, Trifolium eriocephalum var. piperi
The photo above shows the form of woolly-head clover (var. arcuatum) as seen in meadows lining Balloon Tree Road from the Umatilla N.F. near Tollgate in northeastern Oregon.......June 27, 2006.
The photo at right shows the leaf of Trifolium eriocephalum var. piperi
from Wallowa-Whitman N.F. north of Enterprise, OR........late May, 1999.
Characteristics:
Woolly-head clover is an attractive perennial found in the Pacific
Northwest. It has a thick taproot with several to many stem 20-60 cm tall. The
herbage is sparsely to thickly pubescent. The 3 leaflets of variety piperi
are each elliptic to oblong, and somewhat rounded at the tips. They may be 2
to 7 cm long. The stipules are ovate to lanceolate, ranging from 2 to 5 cm long.
The leaflets of variety eriocephalum
are elliptic-oblong to ovate and range in length from 1 to 4 cm.
The leaflets of variety cusickii are linear and sharply
pointed at both ends, with serate margins. They range from 3.5 to 7.5 cm long
and 2.5 to 7 mm wide.
The flower heads oval to rounded, from 2.5 to 3.0 cm wide,
and borne on stems that typically exceed the height of the leaves. The flower
head consists of 25-80 individual flowers which are pinkish to red. Individual
flowers are 12-17 mm long and strongly reflexed or bent downward.
Habitat:
Woolly-head clover is a plant of dry meadows and woods.
Range:
Woolly-head clover is found on both sides of the Cascades from
south-central Washington eastward to west-central Idaho and then south through
Oregon to northern California and south-central Utah. Variety piperi
is found in the Blue Mts of southeastern Washington south through northeastern
Oregon to Harney County and eastward into adjacent Idaho.
The photo above shows the attractive flower head of woolly-head clover (var. piperi) from Balloon Tree Road in the Umatilla N.F. near Tollgate in northeastern Oregon........June 27, 2006. The corollas have a pearly luster to them. The individual flowers tend to be reflexed downwards within the flower head.
The photo above shows a close-up of a single flower of woolly-head clover. The corolla is long and tubular with the banner barely rising above the keel. The hairy calyx lobes are long and slender. Photographed along Balloon Tree Road in the Umatilla N.F. near Tollgate........June 27, 2006.
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The 3 photos above show various close-up views of an attractive purplish-flowered version of woolly head clover as seen along Hat Pt. Road in forest below Horse Creek Viewpoint in the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area...........June 26, 2007.
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The 3 photos above show additional close-up views of an attractive purplish-flowered version of woolly head clover as seen along Hat Pt. Road in a riparian area in burned forest below Saddle Creek Campground in the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area..........July 10, 2007.
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Woollyhead clover (ssp. arcuatum) observed along Deadman Canyon Trail within the first mile or so north of the trailhead at Fish Lake Campground, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest......July 18, 2019.
Trifolium eriocephalum var. arcuatumfrom the Wallowa-Whitman N.F. north of Enterprise, OR........late May, 1999.
Paul Slichter