Flora-Fauna

Trifolium campestre Schreb.

(in J.W.Sturm, Deutschl. Fl. Abbild. 4: 16; 1804 – Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 1, Pl. CXXXIV nº 2; 1966)

• Life-form & habit: Annual or occasionally biennial herb, 10–40 cm tall, with slender, ascending to erect stems branched from the base. Stems glabrous or sparsely pubescent, often reddish near the nodes.

• Leaves: Trifoliolate; leaflets obovate to obcordate, 5–12 × 3–8 mm, finely denticulate near the apex, glabrous or softly pubescent beneath; terminal leaflet shortly petiolulate. Stipules ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, adnate to the petiole for most of their length.

• Inflorescence & flowers: Heads globose to ovoid, 7–12 mm in diameter, borne singly on slender peduncles longer than the subtending leaves. Flowers numerous, bright yellow when fresh, later turning pale and brownish. Calyx campanulate, 3–4 mm, 5-toothed with narrowly lanceolate teeth. Corolla papilionaceous, 5–6 mm, standard obovate, wings and keel shorter.

• Fruit: Pods small, 1-seeded, enclosed within the persistent, withered corolla; seeds smooth, yellowish to light brown.

• Phenology: Flowers from March to June; fruits mature in early summer.

• Habitat & elevation: Dry meadows, roadsides, cultivated and fallow fields, and disturbed ground, from sea level up to 1 800 m; prefers sandy or calcareous soils.

• Lebanese distribution: Widespread and common across Lebanon — coastal plains, Beqaa Valley, and Mount Lebanon slopes up to Barouk and Falougha; frequently observed by Mouterde in open fields and pastures.

• Native range: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Austria, Baleares, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canary Is., Central European Russia, Corse, Cyprus, Czechia-Slovakia, Denmark, Djibouti, East Aegean Is., East European Russia, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Kriti, Krym, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Madeira, Morocco, Netherlands, North Caucasus, North European Russia, Northwest European Russia, Norway, NW. Balkan Pen., Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sardegna, Saudi Arabia, Sicilia, Sinai, South European Russia, Spain, Sudan-South Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Transcaucasus, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Türkiye-in-Europe, Ukraine, Zimbabwe.

• Introduced into: Alabama, Alaska, Altay, Amur, Argentina South, Arizona, Arkansas, Brazil South, British Columbia, California, Cape Provinces, Chatham Is., Chile Central, China North-Central, China Southeast, Colombia, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Finland, Florida, Føroyar, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Japan, Jawa, Kansas, Kazakhstan, Kentucky, Kermadec Is., Khabarovsk, Korea, Louisiana, Magadan, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Brunswick, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New South Wales, New York, New Zealand North, New Zealand South, Newfoundland, Norfolk Is., North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Provinces, Nova Scotia, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Primorye, Prince Edward I., Queensland, Québec, Sakhalin, South Carolina, Sri Lanka, St.Helena, Tadzhikistan, Tasmania, Tennessee, Texas, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vermont, Victoria, Virginia, Washington, West Himalaya, West Siberia, West Virginia, Western Australia, Wisconsin, Wyoming (POWO).

• ⚠️ Taxonomic note: A cosmopolitan yellow clover, distinct from Trifolium dubium Sibth. by its larger heads, longer peduncles, and persistent pale calyces after anthesis. Often a pioneer species in disturbed sites and important in nitrogen fixation. Common and well-established in Lebanon’s ruderal and agricultural habitats.