Trifolium wormskioldii

Trifolium wormskioldii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Faboideae
Genus:	Trifolium
Species:	T. wormskioldii
Binomial name
Trifolium wormskioldii Lehm.

The legume Trifolium wormskioldii (syn. Trifolium fimbriatum, Trifolium involucratum) is a species of clover native to the western half of North America. Its common names include cow clover, coast clover and springbank clover. It has a broad distribution, growing in low, thick mats in coastal sand, sending up longer stalks in higher elevations, and in a thin, squat form in mountainous areas up to about 3200 feet in elevation. The pinkish-purple or magenta flowers grow in rounded inflorescences similar to those of other clovers.

Cow clover was a common food for several Native American groups, the roots cooked and eaten especially with fish, and the leaves eaten raw as a vegetable.

Name etymology

The species was given its scientific name in honour of the botanist Morten Wormskjold.

External links

• USDA Plants Profile
• Ethnobotanical accounts
• Jepson Manual Treatment