Taxon Report

Trifolium palmeri S. Watson

southern island clover

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Taxon Summary

Trifolium palmeri, commonly known as southern island clover, is a annual herb in the Fabaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Coastal bluff scrub, and Valley and foothill grassland, growing at elevations from 10 to 180 meters. Trifolium palmeri is ranked 4.2, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Trifolium palmeri S. Watson
Common Name:	southern island clover
Family:	Fabaceae
Element Code:	PDFAB40102
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:	Trifolium gracilentum T. & G. var. palmeri (Wats.) L.F. McDermott

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb
Blooming Period: Mar-May	Mar-May
Elevation:	10-180 (35-590)
General Habitats:	Coastal bluff scrub, Valley and foothill grassland
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.2
Global Rank:	G4
State Rank:	S4
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


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

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Los Angeles (LAX), Santa Barbara (SBA), Ventura (VEN)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
San Clemente Island Central (3211874), San Clemente Island North (3211885), San Clemente Island South (3211873), San Nicolas Island (3311924), Santa Barbara Island (3311848), Santa Catalina North (3311844), Santa Catalina West (3311845)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	0 %

Notes



Rediscovered on SCT and SNI islands in 1978. Known on ANA Isl. from one small occurrence discovered in 1996. See Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 11:105-148 (1876) for original description.
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 9 May 2025].