Trifolium scabrum, L.

58. T. scabrum L. View in CoL , Sp. Pl. 770 (1753).

Annual; stems 5-25 cm, rigid, flexuous, numerous, procumbent or ascending. Leaflets 5-10 mm, obovate-cuneate, coriaceous, denticulate; lateral veins recurved and prominent at the margins. Stipulesovate or oblong with setaceous apex, entire. Heads 5-12 mm, numerous, mostly axillary, sessile, globose or ovoid, attenuate and scarcely clasped at the base by the stipules. Calyx persistent in fruit; teeth rigid, spinose, slightly recurved in fruit, the lowest one longer than the tube. Corolla 4-5 mm, whitish, rarely pink, usually shorter than thecalyx. In = 10. Dry places. S. & W. Europe, northwards to Scotland. Al Az Be BI BrBu Co Cr Ga Ge Gr Hb He Ho Hs It Ju Lu Rm Rs (K) Sa Si Tu.

Plants from the Mediterranean region with cylindrical heads, more recurved calyx-teeth and pink corolla, slightly exceeding the calyx, have been described as T. lucanicum Gasparr. ex Guss. , FI. Sic. Prodr. 2: 494 (1828) and T. scabrum subsp. turcicum Velen. , Sitz.-Ber. Böhm. Ges. Wiss. {Math.-Nat. Kl.} 1893(37): 23 (1894); they may merit subspecific rank. Plants from Istria and Greece identified with T. compactum Post , FI. Syr. Pal. Sin. 239 (1896), perhaps should be included in 58.