Trifolium arvense

Rabbitfoot clover

Family: Fabaceae · Type: annual · Not Native

Rabbitfoot clover is a naturalized annual found in California's Central West and South Coast regions in disturbed areas at elevations below 300 meters. Flowering in July, this plant produces pale pink to white flowers in dense, dull green to gray spikes 1 to 3 centimeters long with distinctive plumose needle-like calyx lobes. Growing with generally erect hairy stems, it forms compact clusters with narrow, delicate appearance. Its leaves have three leaflets 0.5 to 2 centimeters long, narrow-oblong in shape, with lanceolate stipules that occasionally have bristle tips. The tiny flowers are significantly shorter than their fuzzy, prominent calyx, giving the plant its distinctive "rabbit's foot" texture.

Habitat: Disturbed areas

Bloom period: Jul

Elevation: especially < 300 m

Bioregions: CA-FP

California counties: Shasta, Humboldt, Butte, Tehama, Yuba, Monterey, Trinity, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Placer, Siskiyou

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.