Trifolium argutum, Sharp-tooth Clover

Trifolium argutum, Trifolium xerocephalum, Trifolium moriferum, Mistyllus argutus, Sharp-tooth Clover,

Hebrew: תלתן האלמוות, Arabic: النفل الحاد

Scientific name:   Trifolium argutum Banks et Solander
Synonym name:   Trifolium xerocephalum Fenzl, Trifolium moriferum Boiss.,
Mistyllus argutus (Banks & Sol.) Soják
Common name:   Sharp-tooth Clover
Hebrew name:   תלתן האלמוות
Arabic name:   النفل الحاد
Family:   Fabaceae or Papilionaceae, Legume/Pea Family, הפרפרניים


Life form:   Annual
Spinescence:   absent
Leaves:   Alternate, trifoliate, dentate margin, stipule
Inflorescence:   0,8-1,0 cm, globose to ovoid, elongating in fruit
Flowers:   Hermaphrodite only , pink, white color
Fruits / pods:   Homogeneous seeds-fruits
Flowering Period:   January, February, March, April, May
Habitat:   Batha, Phrygana
Distribution:   Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands, Shrub-steppes
Chorotype:   Mediterranean
Summer shedding:   Ephemeral


Derivation of the botanical name:

Trifolium, Latin tri, tres, three; folium, leaf; three-leaved.

argutum, sharp-toothed, referring to the toothed leaves.
xerocephalum, xeros, dry; kephale, a head, from the close arrangement of the flowers.
Mistyllus, i, m. μιστύλλω, to cut up, the name of a cook.

  • The standard author abbreviation Banks is used to indicate Joseph Banks (1743 – 1820), a British naturalist, botanist and patron of the natural sciences.
  • The standard author abbreviation Solander is used to indicate Daniel Solander (1733 – 1782), a Swedish botanist.
  • The standard author abbreviation Fenzl is used to indicate Eduard Fenzl (1808 – 1879), an Austrian botanist.
  • The standard author abbreviation Boiss. is used to indicate Pierre Edmond Boissier (1810 – 1885), a Swiss botanist, explorer and mathematician.
  • The standard author abbreviation Soják is used to indicate Jiří Soják (1936 – 2012), a Czechoslovak and Czech botanist and taxonomist.