Trifolium willdenovii
Tomcat clover
Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Fabaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Trifolium willdenovii (Tomcat clover) is a native California herb in the Fabaceae family, recognized by . Key features: shiny splitting calyx, sharply lobed involucre.
Tomcat clover is a California native annual herb found in the California Floristic Province and Modoc Plateau in abundant disturbed, spring-moist habitats at elevations from sea level to 2,500 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces lavender to purple flowers with white tips in dense, wheel-shaped heads 1.5 to 3 centimeters wide. Growing with sprawling to erect stems that are glabrous, it can range from small to robust in form. Its leaves have three leaflets 1 to 5 centimeters long, ranging from linear to obovate with fine serrate edges less than 1 millimeter deep. The plant's distinctive stipules are sharply bristle-tipped, with upper stipules often intricately cut.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 70 sympatric species. Key features: shiny splitting calyx, sharply lobed involucre
Habitat and range
Habitat: Abundant. Disturbed, generally spring-moist, heavy soils, occasionally serpentine
Elevation: 0-2500 m
California counties: Humboldt, San Luis Obispo, Kern, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Riverside, Orange, San Bernardino, Ventura, Tulare, Butte, Alameda, Glenn, Yolo, Solano, San Mateo, Contra Costa, Lake, Monterey, Stanislaus, Merced, Tehama, Sacramento, Napa, Madera, Fresno, Mendocino, San Benito, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Santa Clara, San Joaquin, Trinity, Mariposa, Del Norte, Amador, Marin, San Francisco, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tuolumne, Nevada, Imperial, Placer, El Dorado, Calaveras, Shasta, Sierra, Yuba, Plumas, Modoc, Colusa, Kings
Outside California: sporadic to British Columbia, Idaho, New Mexico, Baja California, South America
Bloom period
Trifolium willdenovii 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 willdenovii native to California?
Yes. Trifolium willdenovii is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Trifolium willdenovii bloom?
Trifolium willdenovii blooms Mar-Jun.
Where in California does Trifolium willdenovii grow?
Trifolium willdenovii occurs in Humboldt, San Luis Obispo, Kern, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Riverside, Orange and other counties, at elevations of 0-2500 m.
What plant family does Trifolium willdenovii belong to?
Trifolium willdenovii is in the Fabaceae family, genus Trifolium.
What habitat does Trifolium willdenovii grow in?
Trifolium willdenovii grows in Abundant. Disturbed, generally spring-moist, heavy soils, occasionally serpentine.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Trifolium wormskioldii — Cow clover
- Trifolium albopurpureum — Indian clover
- Trifolium alexandrinum — Egyptian clover
- Trifolium amoenum — Two-fork clover
- Trifolium andersonii — Anderson's clover
- Trifolium andersonii subsp. andersonii — Anderson's clover
- Ulex europaeus — Common gorse
- Ulex sp. — Gorse
- Vachellia farnesiana — Sweet acacia
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.