Taxon Report

Trifolium bolanderi Gray

Bolander's clover

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Trifolium bolanderi, commonly known as Bolander's clover, is a perennial herb in the Fabaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Lower montane coniferous forest, Meadows and seeps, and Upper montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 2039 to 2600 meters. Trifolium bolanderi is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Trifolium bolanderi Gray
Common Name:	Bolander's clover
Family:	Fabaceae
Element Code:	PDFAB400G0
USDA Plants Symbol:	TRBO3
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: Jun-Aug	Jun-Aug
Elevation:	2039-2600 (6690-8530)
General Habitats:	Lower montane coniferous forest, Meadows and seeps, Upper montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Mesic
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.2
Global Rank:	G3
State Rank:	S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_SBBG; SB_USDA; USFS_S
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	32
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	2
Good (B)	17
Fair (C)	4
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	9

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Fresno (FRE), Madera (MAD), Mariposa (MPA)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Cattle Mtn. (3711952), El Capitan (3711966), Half Dome (3711965), Little Shuteye Peak (3711944), Nelson Mtn. (3711911), Patterson Mtn. (3611981), Squaw Dome (3711943), Timber Knob (3711953), White Chief Mtn. (3711945)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	8
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	29	91 %
Grazing	22	68%
Foot traffic/trampling	7	21%
Other	4	12%
Road/trail construction/maint.	1	3%
Logging	1	3%
ORV activity	1	3%
Biocides	1	3%
Development	1	3%

Notes



Threatened by foot traffic, grazing and trampling, and possibly threatened by logging. See Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 7:335 (1868) for original description, and Madroño 40(3):166-173 (1993) for ecological discussion.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 19 November 2025].