Trifolium hirtum

Rose clover

Family: Fabaceae · Type: annual · Not Native

Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes

Rose clover is a naturalized annual found in California's Central and South Coast, North Coast, and South Coast Ranges in disturbed areas and roadsides at elevations below 2,060 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces pink flowers in dense, bristly heads approximately 1.5 to 2 centimeters wide. Growing with ascending or erect hairy stems, the plant develops leafy branches with distinctive bristle-tipped stipules. Its leaves have three obovate leaflets 1 to 2.5 centimeters long, with each leaflet broadly egg-shaped and rounded at the tip. The flower's calyx is notable for its plumose, bristle-like lobes that extend well beyond the tube, giving the plant a characteristic fuzzy appearance.

Habitat: Disturbed areas, roadsides

Bloom period: Apr-May

Elevation: < 2060 m

Bioregions: CA-FP

California counties: Amador, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Luis Obispo, Orange, San Diego, Kern, Mariposa, Ventura, Fresno, Monterey, Solano, Sacramento, Tulare, Butte, Placer, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Yuba, Lake, Calaveras, Marin, Madera, San Francisco, El Dorado, Yolo, San Mateo, Contra Costa, Alameda, Shasta, Mendocino, Santa Clara, San Joaquin, Glenn, Nevada, Colusa, Sonoma, Siskiyou, Santa Cruz, Sutter, Tuolumne, Napa, Trinity, Tehama, Sierra, Stanislaus, Humboldt

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