Trifolium alpinum

{{short description|Species of flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae}}

{{speciesbox

|image= Glacier d'Aletsch avec fleurs.jpg

|status = LC

|status_system = IUCN3.1

|status_ref = {{Cite iucn |title=Trifolium alpinum |author=Chadburn, H. |name-list-style=amp |page=e.T203355A2764331 |date=2014 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-2.RLTS.T203355A2764331.en |access-date=18 January 2024}}

|genus = Trifolium

|species = alpinum

|authority = L.

}}

Trifolium alpinum is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name alpine clover.{{PLANTS|id=TRAL11|taxon=Trifolium alpinum|accessdate=15 December 2015}} It is native to the Alps.[http://www.fao.org/docrep/007/y5576e/y5576e0q.htm Site specific grasses and herbs: Trifolium alpinum.] FAO.

This plant is a perennial herb with a large taproot which can be 1 metre long and 1 centimetre wide. The short stems bear ternate leaves divided into three leaflets each up to 5 cm long. The fragrant flowers are pink to light red, tinged with purple.

This plant grows at elevations between 1700 and 2500 m, sometimes up to 2800 m,Codignola, A., et al. (1985). [http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/content/55/4/509 Preliminary studies on the photosynthetic structures of Trifolium alpinum L. as related to productivity.] Ann Bot 55(4) 509-23. in subalpine and alpine climates. It commonly grows on acidic soils.

In alpine regions this plant provides an important forage for livestock.Lauga, B., et al. (2009). [https://archive.today/20130414090359/http://www.cabdirect.org/abstracts/20093316170.html;jsessionid=0F9B7496704B6A991088C6B15E75F9F1 Two lineages of Trifolium alpinum (Fabaceae) in the Pyrenees: evidence from random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers.] Acta Botanica Gallica 156(3) 317-30. It is also good for stabilizing sites of erosion at high elevations.Peratoner, G., et al. (2007). [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925857407001000 Growth of Trifolium alpinum: Effects of soil properties, symbionts and pathogens.] Ecological Engineering 30(4) 349–355.