Trifolium alpinum

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Trifolium alpinum
Glacier d'Aletsch avec fleurs.jpg
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Trifolium
Species:
T. alpinum
Binomial name
Trifolium alpinum

Trifolium alpinum is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name alpine clover.[1] It is native to the Alps.[2]

This plant is a perennial herb with a large taproot which can be 1 metre long and 1 centimetre wide. The short stems bear ternate leaves divided into three leaflets each up to 5 cm long. The fragrant flowers are pink to light red, tinged with purple.[2]

This plant grows at elevations between 1700 and 2500 m,[2] sometimes up to 2800 m,[3] in subalpine and alpine climates. It commonly grows on acidic soils.[2]

In alpine regions this plant provides an important forage for livestock.[4] It is also good for stabilizing sites of erosion at high elevations.[5]

References[]

  1. ^ "Trifolium alpinum". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d Site specific grasses and herbs: Trifolium alpinum. FAO.
  3. ^ Codignola, A., et al. (1985). Preliminary studies on the photosynthetic structures of Trifolium alpinum L. as related to productivity. Ann Bot 55(4) 509-23.
  4. ^ Lauga, B., et al. (2009). Two lineages of Trifolium alpinum (Fabaceae) in the Pyrenees: evidence from random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Acta Botanica Gallica 156(3) 317-30.
  5. ^ Peratoner, G., et al. (2007). Growth of Trifolium alpinum: Effects of soil properties, symbionts and pathogens. Ecological Engineering 30(4) 349–355.


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