Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Fabales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Acmispon helleri
FAMILY
Fabaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read about Carolina Prairietrefoil: Memento of Piedmont Prairies from Linda Chafin and the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society.
Read how taxonomy affects conservation decision-making from Alan Weakley and the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society.
Learn more about Carolina Prairie-trefoil from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Lotus unifoliolatus var. helleri
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Acmispon americanus var. helleri
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Lotus unifoliolatus var. helleri
SYNONYMOUS WITH Native & naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the US (Isely, 1998)
Lotus purshianus var. helleri
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 098-17-001:
Lotus helleri FAMILY Fabaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN Gray's Manual of Botany (Fernald, 1950)
Lotus americanus
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Acmispon helleri
COMMON NAME:
Carolina Prairie-trefoil
NameThatPlant has no pictures at this time. You might try this link: Flora of the Southeastern United States
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Acmispon helleri
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Lotus unifoliolatus var. helleri
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Acmispon americanus var. helleri
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Lotus unifoliolatus var. helleri
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Native & naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the US (Isely, 1998)
Lotus purshianus var. helleri
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 098-17-001:
Lotus helleri
FAMILY
Fabaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
Gray's Manual of Botany (Fernald, 1950)
Lotus americanus
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Acmispon helleri
4218
Forb
Annual
Habitat: Dry woodlands and openings, originally probably limited to prairie-like sites (fire-maintained, post oak-blackjack oak savannas), generally on clayey soils, now primarily seen on roadbanks, along railroads, and in powerline rights-of-way, where mowing and bush-hogging have replaced fire as the force keeping the habitat open, sunny, and suitable for this plant of prairie affinities, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Uncommon in NC Piedmont, rare in GA & SC
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Compound: 3 leaflets
Mostly alternate
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Standard pale pink, wings yellowish tinged with pink, keel yellowish
Bilaterally symmetrical
5-parted papilionaceous corolla
10 stamens, diadelphous, 9 and 1
Superior ovary
Inflorescence a single flower, usually
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".