Trifolium bolanderi

Bolander's clover

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Bolander's clover is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native perennial found in the central Sierra Nevada Mountains in moist montane meadows at elevations of 2,000 to 2,300 meters. Flowering from June to July, this clover produces pale purple to rose flowers in compact heads 1 to 2 centimeters wide, with blooms quickly bending to one side. Growing in clumped clusters with short, ascending stems, it forms dense low-growing patches. Its leaves are primarily basal with delicate papery stipules, composed of 7 to 15 millimeter leaflets that are elliptic to heart-shaped and finely serrated along the edges. The plant's distinctive calyx is dark or purple-black, measuring 3.5 to 4.5 millimeters long with unequal lobes.

Habitat: Moist montane meadows

Bloom period: Jun-Jul

Elevation: 2000-2300 m

Bioregions: c SNH.

California counties: Madera, Mariposa, Fresno, Tuolumne, Plumas

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