Trifolium spumosum
Trifolium spumosum L.
Fabaceae – Pea family
Conservation status. Critically Endangered [CR B1ab(i,ii)].
Morphology and biology. Annual herb. Stems 15–30 cm, glabrescent. Leaves 3-foliolate with stipules and long petiole in the lower and short in the upper part of the stem; leaflets 10–20(35) mm long, 8–12(15) mm wide, broadly obovate, glabrescent. Flowers zygomorphic, bracteate, in 15–25 mm long lax heads. Calyx 10–13 mm long, actinomorphic, glabrescent, campanulate-cylindrical, strongly inflated in fruit, with 20–25 longitudinal veins; teeth 2–3 times shorter than the tube. Corolla pink, slightly exceeding the calyx. Fruit 3–4-seeded legume. Fl. V–VI, fr. VI–VII. Insect pollination. Reproduction by seeds.
Habitats and populations. On dry grassy and sandy places near the Black Sea. Small numbers of individuals, populations with limited area, single individuals and strongly fragmented habitats.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Black Sea Coast (Southern – Sozopol and Tsarevo towns).
General distribution. SE Europe, Mediterranean, Caucasus, SW Asia (Asia Minor).
Threats. Small number of individuals in populations with restricted area; low seeds germination rate and reproductive potential; anthropogenic pressure on the habitats.
Conservation measures taken. For protection of the habitats of the species the Biological Diversity Act requires establishment of protected areas in accordance with the regulations of the Protected Areas Act.
Conservation measures needed. Collection and deposition of seeds in the National Seed Genebank in Bulgaria; studies and control of habitats for anthropogenic pressure and degradation.
References. Coombe 1968; Zohary 1970; Kozhuharov 1976, 1984.
Author: Ana Petrova
