Desmodium canescens |
Desmodium cuspidatum |
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hoary tick-trefoil, hoary tickclover |
large-bract 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. |
erect or ascending, usually striate, 50–150 cm, usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely uncinate-pubescent or pilose. |
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. |
trifoliolate; stipules usually persistent, narrowly ovate or subulate, 10–20 mm; petiole 40–70 mm; leaflet blades ovate to broadly ovate, apex sharply acuminate to shortly cuspidate, surfaces glabrous (except veins spreading-villosulous); terminal blade 50–120 × 30–70 mm, length 1.5–3 times width. |
Inflorescences | paniclelike, branched; rachis densely patent bulbous-villous and uncinate-puberulent; primary bracts caducous, narrowly ovate, 4–6 mm. |
branched; rachis densely uncinate-pubescent to rarely glabrescent; primary bracts conspicuously covering apex of inflorescences, narrowly ovate, 8–14 mm. |
Pedicels | persistent, 8–13 mm. |
4–8 mm, densely patent uncinate-puberulent and sparsely pilose. |
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, glabrate, margins sparsely ciliate, lobes pilose, tube 1.5–2 mm; abaxial lobes 3–4 mm, lateral lobes 2–3 mm; corolla purple, 8–12 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 dentate abaxially, sinuate adaxially; connections adaxial, 1/2 as broad as segments; segments (1–)4–7, obliquely narrow-rhombic or suborbiculate, (7–)9–11 × 4–5 mm, angled abaxially, slightly convex adaxially, sparsely uncinate-puberulent, sutures densely uncinate-puberulent; stipe 1–2.5 mm. |
2n | = 22. |
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Desmodium canescens |
Desmodium cuspidatum |
|
Phenology | Flowering summer. | Flowering summer–fall. |
Habitat | Open, dry woodlands, cutover areas, thickets, roadsides. | Rich, moist woodlands, thickets, openings, dry, rocky woodlands, ruderal areas. |
Elevation | 0–900 m. (0–3000 ft.) | 0–1000 m. (0–3300 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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AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; ON
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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 Texas, Desmodium cuspidatum is known only from Bowie County, at the northeastern corner of the state. (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 | Hedysarum cuspidatum, D. bracteosum, D. cuspidatum var. longifolium, D. grandiflorum, Meibomia grandiflora, M. longifolia |
Name authority | (Linnaeus) Poiret in F. Cuvier: Dict. Sci. Nat. ed. 2, 13: 110. (1819) | (Muhlenberg ex Willdenow) de Candolle ex G. Don in J. C. Loudon: Hort. Brit., 309. (1830) |
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