Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Barneby's Clover

Trifolium barnebyi

(Isely) Dorn & Lichvar

Barneby's Clover

G1Critically Imperiled (G1G2) Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G1Critically ImperiledGlobal Rank
High - mediumThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.144225
Element CodePDFAB40121
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single state or province
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderFabales
FamilyFabaceae
GenusTrifolium
Synonyms
Trifolium haydenii var. barnebyiIsely
Other Common Names
Barneby's clover (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Taxonomic Comments
Trifolium barnebyi and T. haydenii are recognized as separate species by Nelson and Legler (2023), USFWS (1993), Wyoming Natural Diversity Database (2023), and Kartesz (1999); in his 1994 checklist, Kartesz had treated these taxa as varieties of a more broadly viewed T. haydenii.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2023-08-29
Change Date2010-07-16
Edition Date2023-08-29
Edition AuthorsMarriott, H., rev. D. Gries (1997); rev. B. Heidel (2008), rev. B. Heidel (2009), rev. C. Nordman (2023).
Threat ImpactHigh - medium
Range Extent<100 square km (less than about 40 square miles)
Number of Occurrences1 - 5
Rank Reasons
Trifolium barnebyi is endemic to the southeastern foothills of the Wind River Range in Fremont County, Wyoming. It is known from five occurrences in a limited area. It is inferred to be a long-lived perennial, mortality appears to be low. Some threats appear to be low or medium impact, but climate change related impacts may lead to increased inbreeding, and decline.
Range Extent Comments
Barneby's Clover (Trifolium barnebyi) occurs in the western United States, it is locally endemic, restricted to the southeastern foothills and flanks of the Wind River Range in Fremont County, Wyoming. The range extent is estimated to be 80 square kilometers, using herbarium specimens (from the Rocky Mountain Herbarium and other herbaria), photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data from the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database (Handley and Tronstad 2021, iNaturalist 2023, Marriott 1986, NatureServe 2023, Scott and Sato 1998, SEINet 2023, WYNDD 2023).
Occurrences Comments
Barneby's Clover (Trifolium barnebyi) is known from five extant occurrences (WYNDD 2023), including discoveries by Dr. Richard Scott, found in 1999. The two large occurrences in the Red Canyon area could possibly be treated as one occurrence.
Threat Impact Comments
Some threats are low due to the plant's largely inaccessible habitat. Livestock grazing is not considered to be a threat due to inaccessibility and the plant's low stature. Herbivory by rodents, rabbits, and insects is likely, but is not considered threatening. The species might be displaced in advanced succession, and has been affected by die back during drought. Noxious weed treatment in adjoining habitats and colonization by cheatgrass are low, indirect threats. Small occurrences may have low viability. During normal or dry years, very little seed production has been observed. Extreme or long-term drought, changing time of emergence and shifting habitat use by pollinators are threats, which in the future may lead to decreased pollination, increased inbreeding of Barneby's Clover and these may become greater threats over time, with climate change (Handley and Tronstad 2021).
Ecology & Habitat

Diagnostic Characteristics

Similar species include Trifolium haydenii which is an alpine or upper montane species with glabrous leaflets and sepals. Two additional native clovers are found at Red Canyon, T. gymnocarpon which has pubescent, leathery leaflets with 5-10 widely spaced veins and is not mat-forming and T. andinum which has flower heads subtended by stipules, forming a false involucre (WYNDD 2023).

Habitat

Barneby's clover occurs in ledges, crevices, and seams; mainly on reddish-cream Nugget Sandstone outcrops, secondarily on Frontier Sandstone (WYNDD 2023). It occurs at 1700 - 1982 meters elevation (Fertig 1994, SEINet 2023).
Terrestrial Habitats
Bare rock/talus/scree
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN1
ProvinceRankNative
WyomingS1Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseasesRestricted - smallModerate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseasesRestricted - smallModerate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
11 - Climate change & severe weatherPervasive (71-100%)Serious - moderateHigh (continuing)
11.1 - Habitat shifting & alterationPervasive (71-100%)Serious - moderateHigh (continuing)
11.2 - DroughtsPervasive (71-100%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)Yes
Roadless Areas (1)
Wyoming (1)
AreaForestAcres
West Slope WindsBridger-Teton National Forest143,252
References (11)
  1. Fertig, W., C. Refsdal, and J. Whipple. 1994. Wyoming rare plant field guide. Wyoming Rare Plant Technical Committee, Cheyenne. No pagination.
  2. Handley, J. and L.M. Tronstad. 2021. Pollinators limit seed production in an early blooming rare plant, Barneby’s clover (<i>Trifolium barnebyi</i>), in central Wyoming. Report prepared by the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, University of Wyoming for the Wyoming Office of the Bureau of Land Management. Online. Available: https://wyndd-reports.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/21han01.pdf (Accessed 2023).
  3. iNaturalist. 2023. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2023).
  4. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  5. Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
  6. Marriott, H. J. 1986. A report on the status of <i>Trifolium barnebyi</i>, a Candidate Threatened species. Unpublished report prepared for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, Laramie, WY.
  7. NatureServe. 2023. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  8. Nelson, B.E. and B.S. Legler. 2023. Checklist of the Wyoming Flora. Rocky Mountain Herbarium, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY. Online. Available: https://www.rockymountainherbarium.org/index.php/research/checklist (Accessed 2023).
  9. Scott, R. W. and K. Sato. 1998. Plant species mapping in the Red Canyon area, Fremont County, Wyoming. Unpublished report prepared for the Fremont County Weed and Pest Board by Department of Biology, Central Wyoming College, Riverton, WY.
  10. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2023. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2023).
  11. Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, University of Wyoming. 2023. <i>Trifolium barnebyi</i> - Barneby's clover. Wyoming Field Guide. Online. Available: https://fieldguide.wyndd.org/?species=trifolium%20barnebyi (Accessed 2023).