Taxonomy: Fam. Fabaceae// Genus: Trifolium// Species: Trifolium repens L.// Subspecies: Trifolium repens L. subsp. repens.
Determined according to the botanical key provided by Micevski (2001) to species level and Coombe in Tutin et al. (1968) to subspecies level.
Species variability: Trifolium repens L. shows considerable amount of variation. In the Osogovo region two forms can be distinguished according to the key provided by Coombe in Tutin et al. (1968): Trifolium repens L. subsp. repens and Trifolium repens subsp. prostratum Nyman. Distinction between subspecies:
– Trifolium repens L. subsp. repens: flowers white (sometimes pink), peduncle of inflorescence glabrous or glabrescent; pedicels up to twice as long as calyx; leaves with glabrous petioles up to 15 (-20) cm long and leaflets 10 to 20+ mm long. Leaf petioles generally erect.
– Trifolium repens L. subsp. prostratum Nyman: flowers pink, inflorescence with distinctly hairy peduncle; pedicles shorter to almost equaling calyx; leaves with distinctly hairy petioles and leaflets up to 10 (-15) mm long. Petioles and peduncles generally shorter as compared to subsp. repens. Leaf petioles generally appressed to the ground or semi-erect.
Lifeform: Perrenial; Hemicryptophyte according to the Raunkiær system.
Distribution: Native from Europe to Siberia, Mongolia, Himalaya, India, Iraq and Jordan; Macaronesia; Northwest Africa, Egypt, East Africa and Zimbabwe according to the distribution information provided the Plants of the World Online (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew).
Habitat: Grasslands and pastures, clearings and edges of woods.
Flowering period: Late spring – summer: MAY, JUN, JUL.
References:
Trifolum L. Coombe, D. E. in Raven, P.H. in Tutin, T.G., Heywood, V.H., Burges, N.A., Moore, D.M., Valentine, D.H., Walters, S.M. & Webb, D.A. (1968). Flora Europaea. Volume 2: Rosaceae to Umbelliferae. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 157 – 172.
Trifolium L. Micevski, K. (2001). The Flora of the Republic of Macedonia Vol. I, Book 5. Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, pp. 1290-1345.
Trifolium repens subsp. repens. Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77194488-1 [Accessed 29.01.2023].
Last update: 29.01.2023.