Trifolium alpinum

Botanical Description

Trifolium alpinum is a herbaceous perennial plant growing from a large taproot that can be 100cm or more long. It produces a number of short stems from the root crown, forming dense tufts of growth[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. It is used in restoration projects in the Alps to re-establish mountain pastures and is sometimes grown as an ornamental in gardens[ 200 Title The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. Publication Author Huxley. A. Publisher MacMillan Press Year 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5 Description Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed. , 1144 Title Site-Specific Grasses and Herbs - Seed production and use for restoration of mountain environments Publication Author Krautzer B.; Peratoner G.; Bozzo F. Website http://www.fao.org/docrep/007/y5576e/y5576e00.htm#Contents Publisher Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; Rome Year 2004 ISBN 92-5-105188-7 Description Information on 25 species of plants used for restoring mountain pastures. It can be downloaded from the internet. ]. The species is endemic to Europe and has a relatively wide distribution in mountain areas in southwestern and western Europe. The estimated extent of occurrence (EOO) for this alpine clover exceeds the values needed for a threatened category. As it is a common species in grassland and rocky habitats over a range of altitudes, it is inferred that the area of occupancy and population also exceed these values. Although some of its habitat may have suffered from declines, in this common species these declines are not suspected to have led to population declines sufficient to trigger a threatened rating. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].