Family |
Fabaceae
Trifolium nigrescens subsp. petrisavii
(Clem.) Holmboe
Trifolium nigrescens subsp. petrisavii (Clem.) Holmboe
First published in Stud. Veg. Cyprus: 106 (1914).
(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 2, pp. 296–297, Pl. CXII, 3; 1970)
Description
Life-form & habit: Hairless annual herb with prostrate or ascending stems, usually 30–50 cm long.
Leaves: Long-stalked leaves with large, obovate leaflets, their margins saw-toothed and finely spine-tipped. Stipules ovate, abruptly ending in a point.
Inflorescence & flowers: Many-flowered, approximately spherical heads on stalks longer than the leaves. Flowers usually pink; calyx hairless, with lanceolate, finely pointed teeth. Flower stalks turn downwards after flowering.
Fruit: Pods containing one or two seeds, distinguishing this subspecies from the usually several-seeded typical subspecies.
Flowering and habitat
Phenology: Flowering March–June.
Habitat & elevation: Grassy places, especially where the ground is somewhat moist.
Distribution
Lebanese distribution: Tyr, Saida, Damour, Kfar Chima, Chiyah, Beirut, Ras Beirut, Nahr Beirut, Tripoli, Baabda, below Beit Meri, Roueissat, the ascent to Hairouna, Deir Zenoun and Kornet Chehwan.
Syrian distribution: Tartous, Latakia, south of Safita, south of Deirik, the Tigris banks, Ain Diwar, Aleppo, Rastane, north of Qneitra, Er-Raha and Soueida–Fontaine des Bedouins.
Native range: Bulgaria, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., Egypt, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Kriti, Lebanon-Syria, NW. Balkan Pen., Palestine, Sicilia, Transcaucasus, Türkiye.
Introduced into: Germany, Italy.
⚠️ Taxonomic note:
Kew accepts this subspecies and includes Trifolium petrisavii and T. meneghinianum among its synonyms.