132 INTERESTING PLANTS OF ALPINE PASTURES 



THE ALPINE CLOVER. 



In the Alpine pastures and meadows various 

 species of Clover are conspicuous, some of which 

 have beautiful yellowish - brown flower - heads. We 

 will notice here one species, the Alpine Clover 

 (Trifolium alpinum, Linn., natural order Leguminosae, 

 the Pea family), in which the rose-coloured flowers 

 are very large and handsome. As compared with 

 Clovers in general, the heads contain only compara- 

 tively few flowers, which are much larger than those 

 of the other Swiss species. Here we see another 

 good example of increase in the size of the individual 

 flowers so characteristic of many Alpines. A few 

 large flowers in a head compete successfully with 

 heads containing many smaller flowers. The flowers 

 have a very strong, sweet scent. 



The fruits are also interesting, from the fact that 

 the calyx remains attached to the one- or two-seeded 

 pod after the corolla has fallen, and aids as a flying 

 apparatus for the distribution of the fruit by the 

 wind. 



The Alpine Clover in Switzerland is a calcifuge 

 that is, it avoids calcareous soils. It has a great 

 underground development of root and stem, as we 

 shall find if we attempt to unearth a plant. It is 

 a perennial, and may attain to a considerable age. 



