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Trifolium polymorphum Poir. |
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Leguminosae Polymorphous clover. A creeping, stoloniferous, perennial clover. It also produces rhizomes. Plants are pubescent, fine and low-growing. Inflorescences of two types, aerial and hypogeal, are produced. The aerial flower heads are small, with pink or rose coloured flowers that are readily eaten by livestock. Most of the seed is set by the small white, subterranean flowers, which occur in axillary, ovoid heads at many nodes. There is a main taproot and many adventitious roots from the nodes of the prostrate stems. Native to Buenos Aires and the north-eastern provinces of Argentina, Uruguay and Rio Grande do Sul Province, Brazil. It is common on the sandy strip fringing the River Parana in Santa Fe Province, Argentina. A rather small, inconspicuous clover that is favoured by heavy grazing, especially by sheep, but disappears readily when shaded by taller-growing plants. The subterranean seed set particularly enhances its persistence under heavy grazing. While normally inconspicuous, it responds strongly to applied phosphate (Burkart, 1954), at times doubling its carrying capacity (Henry, 1954). It nodulates well with Rhizobium from T. repens and T. alexandrinum plants. It differs from most plants in its native habitat in being winter-spring growing, maturing in early summer (Hartley, 1949).
Additional Information by Dr. P. Izaguirre de Artucio |