top navigation:

Native Plant Propagation Guidelines:
forbs

Trifolium wormskioldii (springbank clover)

Category: 
forbs

photo by Toni Corelli

Perennial herb with creeping rhizome. Stems are branched, prostrate, to 30 cm long, tips turning up. Leaves are compound, three-foliate; leaflets to 3 cm long, pointed at tip and finely toothed. Flowers are red to purple, often tipped with white, pea-like, to 1.2 cm long, in dense heads of 2-60 flowers to 3 cm across. Pods with 1-4 seeds (Pojar and MacKinnon, 1994). Photo by Toni Corelli.

Scientific Name: 

Trifolium wormskioldii Lehm.

Family: 
Fabaceae
English Name: 
springbank clover

Geographical Range and Habitat Requirements

Ecological Setting: 

Moist to wet, open places from low to middle elevations. Often found growing together with pacific silverweed in dense patches along estuaries (Pojar and MacKinnon, 1994)

Soil Texture: 

Medium textured soils (Kartesz, 2006)

Nutrients: 

Rich (Klinkenberg, 2004)

Soil Reaction and Salinity: 

pH 6.2 – 7 (Kartesz, 2006)

Moisture Regime: 

Medium (Kartesz, 2006)

Shade Tolerance: 

Intermediate (Kartesz, 2006)

Successional Status: 
n/a
BEC Zone and GOE Community Status: 

CWH, CDF (Kartesz, 2006)

Uses

Site Rehabilitation: 

Roots contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Some of the nitrogen is used by the growing plant but some can also be used by plants growing nearby (Kartesz, 2006).

Wildlife: 

Geese are known to eat the roots of Springbank clover (Turner, 2004).

Landscaping: 

Potential ornamental

First Nations: 

The long, fleshy white rhizomes were an important food source to northwest coast peoples (Pojar and MacKinnon, 1994).

Other Uses: 

Can be used as fodder for animals (Kartesz, 2006).

Seed Propagation

Flowering Time: 

Late spring

Fruit Ripening Time: 

Summer

Seed Collection Time: 

Fall

Crop Intervals: 

Normally perennial

Number of Seeds per Kilogram: 

343,000

Seed Viability: 

Medium

Fruit and Seed Collection and Extraction: 

The best time to collect seed is in the fall as the flowers are starting to dry out and die back (Turner, 2005). Best to collect on a sunny day if possible so that the seeds are already dry.

Seed Storage: 

Dry seeds (without heat) and store in sealed paper envelopes (Turner, 2005).

Fruit/Seed Dormancy and Treatment: 

                 

Vegetative Propagation

               

Outplanting Characteristics and Requirements

       

Seed and Cutting Propagation Techniques

          

Additional Information and Photos

For more information and pictures, visit the E-Flora BC website at www.eflora.bc.ca.www.eflora.bc.ca

?>