Trifolium semipilosum Fresen.

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Dam 2, Southern Loop, Nyika National Park

Photo: Bart Wursten
Chelinda Camp, staff area, Nyika National Park

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Synonyms:
Common names:
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Perennial herb with hairy prostrate stems, often rooting at the nodes. Leaves trifoliolate with leaflets orbicular-obovate or elliptic-oblong, rounded or more or less emarginate at the apex, hairless above but with silky hairs on the lateral leaflets beneath, sometimes only on the midrib; margins more or less faintly toothed; petiole quite long, hairless or silky hairy. Flowers depressed globose on a silky hairy peduncle longer than the leaves. Flowers white, tinged pink or purple-red.
Type location:	Ethiopia
Notes:	At least four varieties have been described. Two of these, var. semipilosum and var. glabrescens J.B. Gillett, are both said to have been recorded from the Chelinda area at the Nyika Plateau. Var. glabrescens differs in the more obovate-emarginate leaflets with larger, sharper teeth on the margin and with a few hairs only on the midrib beneath. We treat both varieties together.
Derivation of specific name:	semipilosum: somewhat hairy or pilose.
Habitat:	In moist places in montane grassland.
Altitude range: (metres)	2250 - 2300 m
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution:	Yemen, Eritrea, Ethiopia Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and northern Malawi.
National distribution:	N
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Images last updated:	Thursday 6 September 2018
Literature:	Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 169. (Includes a picture). Martins, E.S. et al. (2003). Papilionoideae Flora Zambesiaca 3(7) Pages 49 - 50.

Other sources of information about Trifolium semipilosum:

Our websites:

Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Trifolium semipilosum

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Trifolium semipilosum
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Trifolium semipilosum
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Trifolium semipilosum
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Trifolium semipilosum
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Trifolium semipilosum
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Trifolium semipilosum
JSTOR Plant Science: Trifolium semipilosum
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Trifolium semipilosum
Plants of the World Online: Trifolium semipilosum
Tropicos: Trifolium semipilosum
Wikipedia: Trifolium semipilosum