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hoary tick-trefoil, hoary tickclover

Graham's tick trefoil

Habit Herbs, perennial. Herbs, perennial, sometimes mat-forming; rhizomatous.
Stems

erect or ascending, branched, 50–200 cm, conspicuously or sparsely villous and uncinate-pubescent.

prostrate, decumbent, or trailing, branched from base, 25–70 cm, uncinate-puberulent to -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.

usually trifoliolate, rarely unifoliolate proximally;

stipules persistent, reflexed, narrowly deltate, 3–5.5 mm;

petiole 12–20 mm;

leaflet blades pale green abaxially, broadly ovate to suborbiculate, apex obtuse, surfaces clearly reticulate-veined abaxially, prominently reticulate-veined adaxially, loosely strigulose or glabrescent abaxially, appressed, bulbous-pilose adaxially;

terminal blade 20–45 × 15–25 mm, length 1.2–1.7 times width.

Inflorescences

paniclelike, branched;

rachis densely patent bulbous-villous and uncinate-puberulent;

primary bracts caducous, narrowly ovate, 4–6 mm.

terminal and unbranched;

rachis densely patent uncinate-pubescent and often bulbous-pilose;

primary bracts ovate, 4.5–6.5 mm.

Pedicels

persistent, 8–13 mm.

10–15 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 5–6 mm, pubescent, tube 1 mm;

abaxial lobes 4–5 mm, lateral lobes 3–4 mm;

corolla pink, lilac to purple, or greenish white, 7–8 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 crenate abaxially, strongly crenate adaxially;

connections adaxial, 1/3 as broad as segments;

segments (2 or)3–6, elliptic to suborbiculate, 4.5–8 × 3–5 mm, symmetrically rounded abaxially, convex adaxially, densely uncinate-pubescent throughout;

stipe 3–3.5 mm.

2n

= 22.

= 22.

Desmodium canescens

Desmodium grahamii

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering late summer–fall.
Habitat Open, dry woodlands, cutover areas, thickets, roadsides. Pine, juniper, oak woodlands, grasslands, canyons, sandy alluvia along streams, moist areas, roadsides.
Elevation 0–900 m. (0–3000 ft.) 1600–2400 m. (5200–7900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
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
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; NM; TX; Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Coahuila, México, Puebla, Sonora, Tamaulipas)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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 grahamii is known from the trans-Pecos region of Texas; it is also found in the southern half of Arizona, and southwestern New Mexico.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Desmodium Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Desmodium
Sibling taxa
D. arizonicum, D. batocaulon, D. canadense, D. cinerascens, D. cuspidatum, D. floridanum, D. grahamii, D. gramineum, D. illinoense, D. incanum, D. intortum, D. laevigatum, D. lindheimeri, D. lineatum, D. marilandicum, D. metcalfei, D. nuttallii, D. ochroleucum, D. paniculatum, D. procumbens, D. psilocarpum, D. psilophyllum, D. retinens, D. rosei, D. rotundifolium, D. scopulorum, D. scorpiurus, D. sessilifolium, D. strictum, D. tenuifolium, D. tortuosum, D. triflorum, D. tweedyi, D. viridiflorum, D. ×humifusum
D. arizonicum, D. batocaulon, D. canadense, D. canescens, D. cinerascens, D. cuspidatum, D. floridanum, D. gramineum, D. illinoense, D. incanum, D. intortum, D. laevigatum, D. lindheimeri, D. lineatum, D. marilandicum, D. metcalfei, D. nuttallii, D. ochroleucum, D. paniculatum, D. procumbens, D. psilocarpum, D. psilophyllum, D. retinens, D. rosei, D. rotundifolium, D. scopulorum, D. scorpiurus, D. sessilifolium, D. strictum, D. tenuifolium, D. tortuosum, D. triflorum, D. tweedyi, D. viridiflorum, D. ×humifusum
Synonyms Hedysarum canescens, Meibomia canescens Meibomia grahamii
Name authority (Linnaeus) Poiret in F. Cuvier: Dict. Sci. Nat. ed. 2, 13: 110. (1819) A. Gray: Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 5(6): 48. (1853) — (as grahami)
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