Desmodium canescens |
Desmodium batocaulon |
|
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hoary tick-trefoil, hoary tickclover |
San Pedro tick trefoil |
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Habit | Herbs, perennial. | Herbs, perennial. |
Stems | erect or ascending, branched, 50–200 cm, conspicuously or sparsely villous and uncinate-pubescent. |
decumbent or decumbent-assurgent, branched, 30–120 cm, densely uncinate-pubescent. |
Leaves | trifoliolate; stipules mostly persistent, usually reflexed, broadly or narrowly ovate, 5–13 mm, base oblique, often auriculate, subamplexicaul; petiole 30–60 mm; leaflet blades ovate, thick, papery, apex acute to gradually acuminate, surfaces densely uncinate-puberulent abaxially, uncinate-puberulent and pubescent on veins adaxially; terminal blade 50–130 × 30–100 mm, length 1.5–2 times width. |
tri-foliolate; stipules caducous, narrowly ovate, 5+ mm; petiole 20–30 mm; leaflet blades ovate-elliptic to narrowly so, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces densely appressed-pubescent abaxially, sparsely so adaxially; terminal blade (20–)35–60 × 8–10(–15) mm, length 2.5–4 times width. |
Inflorescences | paniclelike, branched; rachis densely patent bulbous-villous and uncinate-puberulent; primary bracts caducous, narrowly ovate, 4–6 mm. |
axillary and terminal, branched or unbranched; rachis patent uncinate-puberulent to pubescent; primary bracts closely imbricate before anthesis, caducous, ovate, 5 mm. |
Pedicels | persistent, 8–13 mm. |
5–10 mm. |
Flowers | calyx 3–5 mm, sparsely or densely puberulent, tube 1 mm; abaxial lobes to 3 mm, lateral lobes 1 mm; corolla usually purple to pinkish, rarely white, 9–13 mm. |
calyx 3–4 mm, sparsely pubescent, tube 1 mm; abaxial lobes 3 mm, lateral lobes 2 mm; corolla pink or purple to blue, 7–9 mm. |
Loments | sutures dentate or crenate abaxially, sinuate adaxially; connections adaxial, 1/3–1/2 as broad as segments; segments 4–6, broadly elliptic, 6.5–13 × 4–7 mm, obtusely angled abaxially becoming round, convex adaxially, uncinate-puberulent and villous, hairs particularly dense on sutures and between segments; stipe 2.5–6 mm. |
sutures undulate abaxially, sinuate adaxially; connections adaxial, 1/4–1/3 as broad as segments; segments 4–7, semiorbiculate, 3–5 × 3–3.5 mm, rounded abaxially, slightly convex adaxially, glabrous or sparsely uncinate-puberulent throughout; stipe 1–2 mm. |
2n | = 22. |
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Desmodium canescens |
Desmodium batocaulon |
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Phenology | Flowering summer. | Flowering late summer–fall. |
Habitat | Open, dry woodlands, cutover areas, thickets, roadsides. | Dry, rocky woodlands, pine or oak-juniper woodlands, canyons, roadsides. |
Elevation | 0–900 m. (0–3000 ft.) | 1200–2100 m. (3900–6900 ft.) |
Distribution |
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; MI; MO; MS; NC; NE; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; WI; WV; ON
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AZ; NM; Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Guerrero, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas)
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Discussion | In Texas, Desmodium canescens is known from the eastern third of the state. In Florida, it occurs only in the panhandle region. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
In the flora area, Desmodium batocaulon is known from southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 11. | FNA vol. 11. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Hedysarum canescens, Meibomia canescens | Meibomia batocaulos |
Name authority | (Linnaeus) Poiret in F. Cuvier: Dict. Sci. Nat. ed. 2, 13: 110. (1819) | A. Gray: Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 5(6): 47. (1853) |
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