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:	21
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	1
Good (B)	7
Fair (C)	5
Poor (D)	1
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	7

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Marin (MRN), Monterey (MNT), Santa Cruz (SCR), Sonoma (SON)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Big Basin (3712222), Drakes Bay (3812218), Felton (3712211), Laurel (3712118), Monterey (3612158), Mt. Carmel (3612147), Petaluma (3812226), Petaluma River (3812225), Seaside (3612157), Spreckels (3612156)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	9
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	15	71 %
Non-native plant impacts	9	42%
Development	5	23%
Grazing	5	23%
Other	4	19%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	2	9%
Road/trail construction/maint.	2	9%
Foot traffic/trampling	2	9%
Altered flood/tidal/hydrologic regime	2	9%
Biocides	1	4%

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. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 9 November 2025].