Trifolium alpinum
Trifolium alpinum | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Fabales |
Family: | Fabaceae |
Subfamily: | Faboideae |
Genus: | Trifolium |
Species: | T. alpinum
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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[]
- ^ "Trifolium alpinum". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
- ^ a b c d Site specific grasses and herbs: Trifolium alpinum. FAO.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Peratoner, G., et al. (2007). Growth of Trifolium alpinum: Effects of soil properties, symbionts and pathogens. Ecological Engineering 30(4) 349–355.
Categories:
- Trifolium
- Flora of the Pyrenees
- Flora of the Alps
- Plants described in 1753
- Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
- Trifolieae stubs