Trifolium resupinatum L.
reversed clover
Annual; stems glabrous, procumbent, ascending or erect, not rooting at nodes. Lvs glabrous; petioles c. 5-30 mm long; leaflets obovate or obtriangular, acute, obtuse or slightly emarginate, mucronate, cuneate at base, finely serrate, c. 5-25 mm long; lateral veins slightly recurved or straight and slightly thickened toward leaflet margin; petiolules up to 1 mm long, ± equal; stipules ovate-oblong, acuminate. Infls axillary, racemose or umbellate, globose, pedunculate, ± = or somewhat > lvs; fls resupinate, numerous, rarely as few as 6 and umbellate, subsessile; bracts subtending fls much reduced, connate at infl. base. Calyx tomentose on upper side, moderately hairy when inflated, with c. 20 indistinct veins, greatly inflated on upper side at fruiting; throat open, ± glabrous; calyx teeth ± equal at flowering, erect at fruiting, < corolla; upper 2 teeth narrowly triangular, ± = tube, conspicuous on the inflated calyx; lower 3 teeth triangular; sinuses acute or obtuse. Corolla pink to reddish purple, persistent but ± enclosed by inflated calyx at fruiting, (4)-5-7 mm long. Pod glabrous, straight, < calyx, 2-3 mm long, 1-2-seeded; seeds c. 1-1.5 mm diam.
N.: locally common north of Waikato, also collected from Napier; S.: collected once from Seddon (Marlborough), and McQueens Valley (Banks Peninsula).
Asia Minor, N. Africa 1878
Damp pasture, waste places, often coastal.
FL Nov-Jan.
T. resupinatum was first recorded for N.Z. by Kirk, T., Trans. Proc. N.Z. Inst. 10: 372 (1878), but at least some Kirk material labelled T. resupinatum is referable to T. tomentosum. T. resupinatum is distinguished from T. tomentosum by the longer corolla and less hairy fruiting calyx with clearly projecting calyx teeth. It is distinguished from T. fragiferum by the non-stoloniferous habit and smaller purplish flowering heads. N.Z. material appears to be referable to the type var. although some plans approach var. majus Boiss. distinguished by the thicker hollow stems and larger fruiting heads.
