This clover with a wide palaeo-temperate distribution has been cultivated since ancient times as forage in the Middle East, and is present in all the Italian regions located south of the Po River (as an ephemeral weed also in Piedmont and in the north-eastern regions). It grows in uncultivated grasslands, along paths and waterways, on rather fresh soils, below the montane belt, with optimum in the Mediterranean belt. The species is sporadic in the outer belt of the Sardinian temporary ponds, in contact with pastures. The genus name derives from the Latin word 'tri' (three) and 'folium' (leaf), referring to the leaves, that are divided into 3 leaflets; the species name refers to the characteristically twisted flowers. Flowering period: April to July.

Italian name(s): Trifoglio risupinato (Italia), Trifugghieddu (Sicilia).