Trifolium dubium

suckling clover, hop clover, smallhop clover, shamrock, small hop clover, small hop-clover, little hop-clover
Family

Fabaceae

Leaf Arrangement

alternate

Leaf Attachment

petiolate

Leaf Type

trifoliolate

Growth Form

forb

Flower Color

yellow

Flower Month

March - September

Height (meters)

0.0 - 0.4

Milky Sap

No

Armed/Unarmed

Unarmed

Origin

introduced

Lifespan

annual

Growing Season

Warm season


Wetland Class

FACU

Prairie Coefficient of Conservatism

-1

Field Characters

Identification tip: Similar to Tephrosia spicata, brown hair tephrosia, but may be distinguished by its flower stalk which is nodding while those of T. spicata are erect. Also, the foliage of Tephrosia onobrachoides is grayish green while T. spicata is rust colored due to a covering of brown hairs. Tephrosia virginiana has generally smaller leaflets and is the only species of Tephrosia which has erect simple stems and terminal inflorescences. It is also found on drier sites than most Tephrosias (Grelen and Hughes, 1984).

Animal Use

The following information is for the genus Trifolium: Animals that eat its foliage, seeds: Pectoral sandpiper, Greater prairie chicken, Chestnut-bellied scaled quail, Wild turkey, Pocket gopher, Meadow mouse, Pine mouse. Animals that eat its seeds: Horned lark, Pipit, Animals that eat the plant: Beaver, Muskrat, Cottontail rabbit, Mearns cottontail rabbit, Raccoon, Eastern skunk, White-tailed deer (Martin et al. 1951).

Natural History

Trifolium dubium is self-fertilized (USDA 1948). A native of Europe, it is now naturalized in grassy places throughout Louisiana and east Texas.

Habitat

Roadsides, waste places, lawns, fields, pastures.