Flora-Fauna

Trifolium modestum Boiss.

(Diagn. Pl. Orient. ser. 1, 9: 27; 1849 – Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 2, Pl. CXCIX nº 1; 1969)

• Life-form & habit: Perennial or short-lived perennial herb, 5–15 cm tall, forming small, compact tufts or mats. Stems slender, ascending to prostrate, often reddish, sparsely pubescent.

• Leaves: Trifoliolate; leaflets obovate to elliptic, 4–10 × 2–5 mm, entire or faintly denticulate at the apex, glabrous above, slightly hairy beneath. Stipules ovate-lanceolate, acute, green with narrow membranous margins.

• Inflorescence & flowers: Flower heads globose to ovoid, 1–1.5 cm in diameter, terminal, sessile or shortly pedunculate. Flowers numerous, white to pale pink, becoming brownish in fruit. Calyx tubular, 4–5 mm long, teeth linear, slightly unequal, as long as or longer than the tube. Corolla papilionaceous, 6–7 mm, standard slightly longer than wings and keel.

• Fruit: Pod small, enclosed within the persistent calyx, 1-seeded; seed reniform, smooth, yellowish-brown.

• Phenology: Flowers from May to July; fruits mature from June to August.

• Habitat & elevation: Rocky slopes, subalpine grasslands, and open limestone meadows, 1 600–2 400 m; prefers cool, well-drained, calcareous soils.

• Lebanese distribution: Endemic to Lebanon, recorded by Boissier and later by Mouterde from the high mountains of Mount Lebanon — particularly Sannine, Makmel, and Barouk. Occurs within the upper montane and subalpine zones, often among Acantholimon, Onobrychis cornuta, and Astragalus species.

• Native to: Endemic to Lebanon.

• ⚠️ Taxonomic note: A Lebanese endemic clover restricted to high limestone summits and subalpine pastures. It is readily recognised by its small stature, dense, pale flower heads, and tomentulose calyx teeth exceeding the tube in length. Trifolium modestum represents one of the rarest alpine legumes of Lebanon, confined to high-elevation habitats above the cedar belt and showing strong ecological adaptation to cold, drought-prone environments.