Trifolium saxatile

This small clover, endemic to the Alps, annual or biannual depending on the conditions, is not really competitive and therefore quite rare. It likes danger : it is mostly found in hostile and dynamic places, such as screes. The species is protected in the Grand Paradiso Park : picking it up is an offence.

The entire plant is hairy and grey in color. Its stems are creeping then ascending, carrying the leaves divided into 3 lobes, characteristic to the genus Trifolium but only 4-6mm wide. The whitish flowers are gathered into globular heads. They only stick a little out further than the calyx, which is covered in white hair that give the inflorescence a cottony aspect. Grey plant growing on grey rocks, an attentive eye and a bit of luck are required to find it !