Trifolium gracilentum
Pinpoint clover, Pinpoint Clover
(c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Fabaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Trifolium gracilentum (Pinpoint clover) is a native California herb in the Fabaceae family, recognized by small size and bristle-tipped calyx lobes are distinguishing.
Pinpoint clover is a California native annual found in California Floristic Province (excluding Channel Islands) and Mojave Desert in open, disturbed, moist or dry places at elevations below 1,800 meters. Flowering from March to June, this delicate clover produces pink to pink-purple flowers in small clusters 1 to 1.5 centimeters wide. Growing with prostrate to erect stems, it can spread low across the ground or stand upright with a variable growth habit. Its leaves have three leaflets 5 to 15 millimeters long, each obovate to slightly heart-shaped with acute teeth and a shallowly notched tip. The plant's tiny flowers, held on short 1 to 2 millimeter pedicels, become recurved as they age, giving the plant a distinctive delicate appearance.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 68 sympatric species; small size and bristle-tipped calyx lobes are distinguishing
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open, disturbed, moist or dry places, occasionally serpentine
Elevation: < 1800 m
California counties: Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, San Diego, Amador, Inyo, Sutter, Lake, Yolo, Humboldt, Solano, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Fresno, San Mateo, Contra Costa, Mariposa, San Joaquin, Alameda, Monterey, Orange, Marin, Tulare, San Francisco, San Benito, Sonoma, Placer, Kings, Tehama, Butte, Glenn, Mendocino, Stanislaus, Colusa, Sacramento, Calaveras, Merced, Napa, Tuolumne, Trinity, El Dorado, Nevada, Sierra
Outside California: to Washington, Arizona
Bloom period
Trifolium gracilentum blooms Mar-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 gracilentum native to California?
Yes. Trifolium gracilentum is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Trifolium gracilentum bloom?
Trifolium gracilentum blooms Mar-Jun.
Where in California does Trifolium gracilentum grow?
Trifolium gracilentum occurs in Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, San Diego and other counties, at elevations of < 1800 m.
What plant family does Trifolium gracilentum belong to?
Trifolium gracilentum is in the Fabaceae family, genus Trifolium.
What habitat does Trifolium gracilentum grow in?
Trifolium gracilentum grows in Open, disturbed, moist or dry places, occasionally serpentine.
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.