This annual clover with a broadly Mediterranean distribution is present in all regions of Italy except in the Valle d'Aosta and Trentino-Alto Adige; it is absent from the Po-Plain and becomes really common only in the central and southern regions of Italy. It grows in dry grasslands and on uncultivated ground, sometimes even in waste places and along roads, on primitive soils rich in skeleton, below the lower montane belt. The species is rare in the outer belt of the temporary ponds of Sardinia, in contact with dry grasslands. 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 characteristic star-like shape of the calyx-teeth at fruiting time. Flowering period: April to June.

Italian name(s): Trifoglio stellato (Italia).