Trifolium monanthum subsp. monanthum

Carpet clover, Carpet Clover

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Carpet clover is a California native perennial found in the Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, and eastern Sierra Nevada in pine belt forests, wet meadows with aspen or willows, and rocky alpine slopes at elevations of 1,700 to 3,900 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces white flowers in small clusters of one to four blooms. Growing as a low-spreading mat with thin white rhizomes, it forms dense ground-covering patches 10 to 20 centimeters across. Its leaves have distinctive three-parted leaflets approximately 2 to 4 times longer than wide, with rounded or blunt tips that create a soft, delicate appearance. The plant's glabrous to slightly hairy texture and ability to thrive in high-elevation alpine environments make it a resilient and charming mountain groundcover.

Habitat: Pine belt upwards, wet meadows with aspen or willows, rocky slopes, alpine

Bloom period: Jun-Aug

Elevation: 1700-3900 m

Bioregions: CaR, SN, SNE

California counties: Los Angeles, Amador, San Bernardino, Inyo, Mono, Fresno, Madera, El Dorado, Tulare, Nevada, Butte, Ventura, Kern, Mariposa, Tuolumne, Alpine, Sierra, Plumas, Placer

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