rabbit-foot clover | skymeadows

rabbit-foot clover (Trifolium arvense)

COMMON NAMES:
hare's foot clover
oldfield clover
rabbitfoot clover
stone clover

SCIENTIFIC SYNONYMS:
Trifolium arvense L. var. arvense
Trifolium arvense L. var. perpusillum DC.

CONFIRMATION STATUS: Pending confirmation.

TAXONOMY: The currently accepted scientific name for rabbit-foot
clover is Trifolium arvense L.

NATIVE STATUS: Introduced, United States and Canada.

GENERAL BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION:

Habit: Rabbit-foot clover is an annual (less often a biennial) about 4-16"

tall, branching occasionally to abundantly. The erect to ascending stems

are medium green, hairy, and circular in cross section.

Leaves: Alternate trifoliate leaves occur at intervals along these stems.

These leaves have short hairy petioles. Individual leaflets are ½-1" long

and about one-third as much across; they are elliptic, elliptic-oblong, or oblanceolate-oblong in shape. Leaflet margins are usually smooth and

ciliate, although sometimes there are tiny teeth towards their tips. The up-

per leaflet surface is medium green and sparsely covered with appressed

long hairs, while the lower surface is hairy. The leaflets are sessile or near-

ly so. At the base of the petiole of each compound leaf, there is a pair of

stipules about ¼" long. The green body of each stipule usually adheres to

the petiole, while its awn- like tip is detached from the petiole and it is

either green or red.

Flowers: Individual flowerheads about ½-1½" long and ½" across termi-

nate the stems or develop from the axils of the leaves. These flowerheads

are pinkish gray with a fuzzy-hairy appearance and they are globoid to

short-cylindrical in shape. Each flowerhead has a short peduncle that is

similar to the stems. Numerous small flowers are densely arranged along

all sides and the entire length of a flowerhead. Each flower is about ¼" in

length, consisting of a white corolla with 5 petals, a greenish-red calyx

with 5 long bristly teeth, several inserted stamens, and a pistil with a sin-

gle style. The body of the calyx is short-tubular and hairy, while the teeth

are usually reddish with white feathery hairs; these teeth extend beyond

the corolla. The narrow corolla consists of a banner (upper petal), a pair

of wings (2 lateral petals), and a small keel (2 lower petals); the banner

extends beyond the other petals and functions like a hood. The blooming

period occurs during the summer and lasts about 2-3 months. The flowers

are capable of self-fertilization in the absence of cross-pollination.

Fruit/Seeds: Afterwards, the flowers are replaced by small seedpods

about 1/8" in long; they are partially hidden by the persistent calyx. Each

seedpod contains a single seed about 1.0-1.5 mm. in length.

Roots: Deep rooting with stems freely root along the ground at the nodes.

REGENERATION PROCESS: Rabbit-foot clover propogates itself
by reseeding often forming colonies of plants at favorable sites.

HABITAT TYPES: Habitats consist of upland sand prairies, areas along

railroads, sandy fields, and waste areas. Relatively open disturbed areas

are preferred where competition from other kinds of ground vegetation

has been reduce. Common habitats where rabbit-foot clover is found are

fields (particularly old or abandoned fields), meadows, roadsides, or any

other waste area. It can invade unkept lawns or gardens, and is often found

in distrubed areas due to clearing or construction.

SITE CHARACTERISTICS: Rabbit-foot clover is usually in dry (often
sandy) soils, at low elevations. It prefers full sun.

SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT: Rabbit-foot clover blooms from May
to October.

GENERAL DISTRIBUTION: Originally from Europe, rabbit-foot

clover is found throughout the eastern United States and Canada, ranging

from Florida to Newfoundland, and westward to Texas north to Manitoba.

It is absent from the far southwest and much of the Rocky Mountain states

and provinces. It reappears in the far Pacific Coast states and provinces,

from California to British Columbia.

SKY MEADOWS DISTRIBUTION: To be determined.

IMPORTANCE AND USES: The insect pollinators of the flowers con-

sist of a variety of bees, including honeybees, bumblebees, leaf-cutting

bees (Mega- chile spp.), and Halictid bees. Small butterflies and skippers

may visit the flowers to a lesser extent. These insects suck nectar from the

flowers. The remaining information about floral-faunal relationships in

this section applies primarily to Trifolium spp. (clovers) in general. Many

insects feed on the foliage, stem pith, roots, or other parts of clovers.

These species include Hypera nigrirostris (lesser cloverleaf weevil),

Hypera punctata (cloverleaf weevil), Sitona hispidulus (clover root weevil), Languria mozardi (clover stem borer), Nearctaphis bakeri (clover aphid)

and other aphids, Philaenus spumaria (meadow spittlebug), Agalliota

sanguinolenta (clover leafhopper), Agalliota quadripunctatus (four-spotted
leafhopper), Sericothrips cingulatus (thrips spp.), Melanoplus sanguinipes
(migratory grasshopper) and other grasshoppers, and the caterpillars of
many moths . In addition, the caterpillars of some butterflies and skippers
feed on clovers, including Colias eurytheme (orange sulfur), Colias philo-

dice (clouded sulfur), Everes comyntas (eastern tailed blue), and Thorybes
pylades (northern cloudywing). Some vertebrate animals also use clovers
as a source of food. For example, such upland gamebirds as the greater
prairie chicken and wild turkey feed on the foliage and seeds, while such
songbirds as the mourning dove, horned lark, and chipping sparrow feed
on the seeds only. The foliage is also eaten by some mammals, including
rabbits, groundhogs, deer, horses, cattle, and sheep. Because the flower-
heads of rabbit-foot clover are exceptionally hairy, their consumption
can damage the health of horses and domestic livestock by causing abdom-
inal obstruction. In open sandy areas, the Plains pocket gopher feeds on
the foliage and roots of clovers. Similarly, the thirteen-lined ground
squirrel eats their seedpods.