Trifolium suffocatum

Small cluster clover

Family: Fabaceae · Type: annual

Small cluster clover is a naturalized annual found in grasslands and roadsides at elevations below 400 meters. Flowering from March to April, this plant produces small white flowers in compact heads 5 to 8 millimeters long, nestled among distinctive ovate stipules. Growing with prostrate to slightly erect stems, it forms low-spreading plants with delicate branching. Its leaves are composed of small obovate to obcordate leaflets about 3 to 8 millimeters long, with prominent stipules that partially surround the flower clusters. The plant produces two yellow seeds per flower, completing its compact and unassuming life cycle.

Habitat: Grassland, roadsides

Bloom period: Mar-Apr

Elevation: < 400 m

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