Trifolium jokerstii

Butte county golden clover, Butte County Golden Clover

Family: Fabaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Butte county golden clover is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native annual found in the North Table Mountain Plateau in Butte County vernal pools at elevations below 400 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces gold- to sulphur-yellow flowers in heads 12 to 30 millimeters wide with distinctive white to purple chevron markings on its leaflets. Growing with decumbent to erect stems, it forms delicate annual clusters with conspicuous lanceolate stipules. Its leaves have three leaflets 0.5 to 3.2 centimeters long, elliptic to obovate, each marked with a prominent chevron pattern. The plant's calyx has simple lobes with plumose bristles 3 to 4.5 millimeters long, giving the flower a distinctive feathery appearance.

Habitat: Vernal pool

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: < 400 m

Bioregions: ScV (North Table Mtn Plateau, Butte Co.).

California counties: Butte

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