Trifolium oliganthum
Few-flowered clover
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Family: Fabaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Trifolium oliganthum (Few-flowered clover) is a native California herb in the Fabaceae family, recognized by . Key features: very small heads, inconspicuous involucre.
Few-flowered clover is a California native annual found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada, Central Valley, San Francisco Bay Area, and southern Coast Ranges on woody or shrubby slopes and roadsides at elevations below 1,000 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces small white to pale pink flowers in compact head-like clusters 6 to 10 millimeters wide with 5 to 15 individual flowers. Growing with ascending to erect stems typically glabrous (smooth), it reaches a modest height with delicate branching. Its leaves have three leaflets ranging from 1 to 2 centimeters long, varying from linear to obovate shapes, with distinctive stipules that are toothed or deeply cut. The flower's calyx is 5 to 7 millimeters long, with lobes that taper to occasionally forked bristles, complementing the slightly longer corolla.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 62 sympatric species. Key features: very small heads, inconspicuous involucre
Habitat and range
Habitat: Woody or shrubby slopes, roadsides
Elevation: < 1000 m
California counties: Contra Costa, Kern, Butte, San Luis Obispo, Marin, Lake, Santa Clara, Monterey, Alameda, Santa Cruz, Fresno, San Mateo, Napa, Inyo, Mendocino, Humboldt, Sonoma, Sacramento, Yuba, Tulare, Santa Barbara, Solano, Shasta, Sutter, Nevada, Amador, Del Norte, Stanislaus, El Dorado, Calaveras, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo, Merced, Mariposa, Tuolumne
Outside California: to British Columbia
Bloom period
Trifolium oliganthum 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 oliganthum native to California?
Yes. Trifolium oliganthum is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Trifolium oliganthum bloom?
Trifolium oliganthum blooms Mar-Jun.
Where in California does Trifolium oliganthum grow?
Trifolium oliganthum occurs in Contra Costa, Kern, Butte, San Luis Obispo, Marin, Lake, Santa Clara, Monterey and other counties, at elevations of < 1000 m.
What plant family does Trifolium oliganthum belong to?
Trifolium oliganthum is in the Fabaceae family, genus Trifolium.
What habitat does Trifolium oliganthum grow in?
Trifolium oliganthum grows in Woody or shrubby slopes, roadsides.
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.