Trifolium barbigerum
Bearded clover
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Family: Fabaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Trifolium barbigerum (Bearded clover) is a native California herb in the Fabaceae family, recognized by bowl-shaped involucre and branched calyx bristles diagnostic.
Bearded clover is a California native annual found in northwestern California, northern and central Sierra Nevada, Great Valley, and central western California in wet meadows and disturbed areas at elevations generally below 700 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces pink-purple to white flowers in dense heads 5 to 25 millimeters wide with distinctive bristly calyces. Growing with decumbent to erect stems that are glabrous or slightly hairy, it reaches moderate heights with a variable growth habit. Its leaves have three leaflets 1.5 to 2.5 centimeters long, oblanceolate to obovate, with conspicuous lanceolate stipules that are often sharply cut. The flower calyces feature terminal bristles 3 to 4 millimeters long, which are plumose and give the plant its distinctive "bearded" appearance.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 55 sympatric species; bowl-shaped involucre and branched calyx bristles diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Wet meadows, open, disturbed areas
Elevation: generally < 700 m
California counties: Humboldt, Santa Barbara, Mendocino, San Francisco, Sonoma, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Marin, San Mateo, Alameda, Shasta, Monterey, Solano, Tuolumne, Sacramento, Calaveras, San Luis Obispo, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Butte, Amador, El Dorado, Sierra, Yolo
Outside California: Oregon
Bloom period
Trifolium barbigerum blooms Apr-Jun.
How to tell it apart
vs Medicago: Trifolium flowers persist around fruits; Medicago flowers fall off leaving exposed coiled fruits.; vs Oxalis: Trifolium has pea-shaped flowers; wood-sorrels (Oxalis) have 5-petaled star-shaped flowers and heart-notched leaflets.; vs Melilotus: Trifolium flowers persist enclosing fruits; Melilotus flowers fall off leaving exposed ridged pods.; vs Castilleja: Trifolium has pea flowers and 3 toothed leaflets; paintbrush (Castilleja) has tubular flowers in colorful bracts.; vs Acmispon: Trifolium leaflets have toothed edges; Acmispon leaflets have smooth untoothed margins.
Frequently asked questions
Is Trifolium barbigerum native to California?
Yes. Trifolium barbigerum is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Trifolium barbigerum bloom?
Trifolium barbigerum blooms Apr-Jun.
Where in California does Trifolium barbigerum grow?
Trifolium barbigerum occurs in Humboldt, Santa Barbara, Mendocino, San Francisco, Sonoma, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Marin and other counties, at elevations of generally < 700 m.
What plant family does Trifolium barbigerum belong to?
Trifolium barbigerum is in the Fabaceae family, genus Trifolium.
What habitat does Trifolium barbigerum grow in?
Trifolium barbigerum grows in Wet meadows, open, disturbed areas.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.