Image of mountain carpet clover

Description:

Slo.: gorska detelja - Habitat: South inclined mountain slope, small pasture surrounded by Ostrya carprinifolia woods, sandy alpine grassland, calcareous ground, overgrown slope scree, full sun, dry and warm place, exposed to direct precipitations, average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 8-10 deg C, elevation 490 m (1.600 feet), alpine phytogeographical region. - Substratum: soil. - Comment: Trifolium montanum is in spite of its name not a typical mountain plant; one can find it everywhere in Slovenia, from low land to high mountains above tree line. It is a common plant in the Alps. It can be recognized by relatively small, up to 1.5 cm diameter, mostly white or yellowish flower heads on long stalks, upright growth and thick wooly hairs on steams, leaves and calyces. There are no leaves just below the flower heads. Individual flowers have very short, barely observable stalks only about 1 mm long. - Ref.: (1) M.A. Fischer, W. Adler, K. Oswald, Exkursionsflora sterreich Liechtenstein, Suedtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p 566. (2) A. Martini et all., Mala Flora Slovenije, Tehnina ZalobaSlovenije (2007), p 306. (3) L. Poldini, Nuovo Atlante corologico delle piante vascolarine, Friuli Venezia Giulia, University of Trieste (2002), p 498. (4) O. Angerer, T. Muer, Alpenpflanzen, Ulmer (2004), p 213.