Taxon Report

Trifolium polyodon Greene

Pacific Grove clover

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Taxon Summary

Trifolium polyodon, commonly known as Pacific Grove clover, is a annual herb in the Fabaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Closed-cone coniferous forest, Coastal prairie, Meadows and seeps, and Valley and foothill grassland, growing at elevations from 5 to 425 meters. Trifolium polyodon is ranked 1B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Trifolium polyodon Greene
Common Name:	Pacific Grove clover
Family:	Fabaceae
Element Code:	PDFAB402H0
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb
Blooming Period: Apr-Jun(Jul)	Apr-Jun(Jul)
Elevation:	5-425 (15-1395)
General Habitats:	Closed-cone coniferous forest, Coastal prairie, Meadows and seeps, Valley and foothill grassland
Microhabitat:	Granitic (sometimes), Mesic
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.1
Global Rank:	G1
State Rank:	S1
State List:	CR
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	BLM_S; SB_USDA
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	19
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	1
Good (B)	7
Fair (C)	5
Poor (D)	1
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	5

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Monterey (MNT), Santa Cruz (SCR)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Big Basin (3712222), Felton (3712211), Laurel (3712118), Monterey (3612158), Mt. Carmel (3612147), Seaside (3612157), Spreckels (3612156)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	9
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	15	79 %
Non-native plant impacts	9	47%
Development	5	26%
Grazing	5	26%
Other	4	21%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	2	10%
Road/trail construction/maint.	2	10%
Foot traffic/trampling	2	10%
Altered flood/tidal/hydrologic regime	2	10%
Biocides	1	5%

Notes



Seriously threatened by urbanization, recreation, foot traffic, and trampling. Potentially threatened by non-native plants. A synonym of T. variegatum (phase 4) in The Jepson Manual, but appears to be distinct. See Pittonia 3:215 (1897) for original description.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2026. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 19 March 2026].