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hoary tick-trefoil, hoary tickclover

rose tickclover, Rose's ticktrefoil

Habit Herbs, perennial. Herbs, annual; with slender taproot.
Stems

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

erect, usually striate, 10–50 cm, obscurely uncinate-puberulent or glabrescent.

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 persistent, patent, subulate or narrowly deltate (from broad base), 2–3 mm;

petiole 10–35 mm;

leaflet blades linear to narrowly oblong, apex obtuse, surfaces sparsely uncinate-puberulent;

terminal blade 20–70 × 2–5 mm, length 7+ times width.

Inflorescences

paniclelike, branched;

rachis densely patent bulbous-villous and uncinate-puberulent;

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

usually unbranched;

rachis sparsely patent uncinate-puberulent;

primary bracts usually persistent, subulate, patent, 1.5–4 mm.

Pedicels

persistent, 8–13 mm.

15–20(–25) 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 1 mm, sparsely puberulent, tube 0.8–1 mm;

abaxial lobes 1 mm, lateral lobes 1 mm;

corolla pink or pink-purple, 3–3.5 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.

margins sometimes slightly involute, sutures equally crenate;

connections central, 1/5 as broad as segments;

segments 2–4, rounded, 3–3.5 × 3 mm, rounded abaxially and adaxially, inconspicuously reticulate, glabrous;

stipe 1–1.5 mm.

2n

= 22.

Desmodium canescens

Desmodium rosei

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering late summer–fall.
Habitat Open, dry woodlands, cutover areas, thickets, roadsides. Dry, open woodlands, with yucca, desert shrubs, grasslands, pinyon-juniper woodlands, on ledges.
Elevation 0–900 m. (0–3000 ft.) 1000–2400 m. (3300–7900 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; Mexico (Chihuahua, Sonora, Zacatecas)
[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.)

Desmodium rosei is known in the flora area 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 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. 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. 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
Name authority (Linnaeus) Poiret in F. Cuvier: Dict. Sci. Nat. ed. 2, 13: 110. (1819) B. G. Schubert: Contr. Gray Herb. 129: 22, plate 1, fig. A. (1940)
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