Desmodium gramineum |
Desmodium strictum |
|
---|---|---|
grassleaf ticktrefoil |
pine barren ticktrefoil |
|
Habit | Herbs, perennial. | Herbs, perennial. |
Stems | stiffly erect or ascending, branched at base and appearing clustered, 40–80 cm, glabrescent or sparsely uncinate-puberulent. |
ascending or erect, usually striate, unbranched to inflorescence, 50–100 cm, uncinate-puberulent. |
Leaves | unifoliolate; stipules caducous, narrowly ovate, 3–9 mm; petiole 10–30 mm; leaflet blades linear, (40–)70–130 × 2–5 mm, length 10+ times width, apex acute or acuminate, surfaces uncinate-puberulent and sparsely strigose on veins abaxially, uncinate-puberulent adaxially. |
trifoliolate; stipules mostly persistent, linear to narrowly ovate-deltate, 2–5 mm; petiole 6.5–18 mm; leaflet blades linear to narrowly oblong, usually folded and appearing narrower, leathery, apex obtuse to acute, surfaces reticulate-veined adaxially, glabrous or sparsely puberulent abaxially, glabrous adaxially; terminal blade 35–60(–80) × 4–7 mm, length 8–10 times width. |
Inflorescences | branched or unbranched; rachis sparsely uncinate-puberulent; primary bracts ovate, 2–3 mm. |
branched or unbranched; rachis densely uncinate-puberulent to pubescent; primary bracts narrowly lanceolate-triangular, 1.4–2 mm. |
Pedicels | 10–20 mm, uncinate-puberulent or glabrescent. |
5–13 mm. |
Flowers | calyx 2 mm, puberulent and uncinate-puberulent, tube 0.8 mm; abaxial lobes 1.2 mm, lateral lobes 1 mm; corolla ephemeral, purple, 3 mm. |
calyx 2.5–3.5 mm, uncinate-puberulent to pubescent on lobes, tube 1 mm; abaxial lobes 2–2.5 mm, lateral lobes 1.5–2 mm; corolla pink or purple, 4 mm. |
Loments | margins slightly involute, sutures equally crenate; connections central, 1/4 as broad as segments; segments 3–6, broadly elliptic, (2–)3–3.5 × 2.5–3 mm, convex or rounded abaxially and adaxially, sparsely uncinate-puberulent, sutures moderately uncinate-puberulent; stipe to 1 mm. |
sutures deeply crenate abaxially, with narrow connection between segments, nearly straight adaxially, slightly sinuate at isthmus; connections adaxial, 1/5 as broad as segments; segments 1 or 2(or 3), semiorbiculate, 4.5–6 × 3–4 mm, symmetrically rounded abaxially, incipiently or plainly concave adaxially, densely uncinate-puberulent, more densely on sutures; stipe 1.5 mm. |
2n | = 22. |
|
Desmodium gramineum |
Desmodium strictum |
|
Phenology | Flowering late summer–fall. | Flowering late summer–fall. |
Habitat | Dry woodlands, grasslands, open hillsides. | Dry woodland, barren sandhills, ruderal areas. |
Elevation | 1100–1500 m. (3600–4900 ft.) | 0–500 m. (0–1600 ft.) |
Distribution |
AZ; Mexico (Chihuahua, Colima, Jalisco, Michoacán, Oaxaca, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas) |
AL; DC; DE; FL; GA; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; OK; SC; TX; VA
|
Discussion | In Arizona, Desmodium gramineum is known from Cochise, Pima, Pinal, and Santa Cruz counties. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Desmodium strictum is mostly restricted to dry, sandy soils along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Because of the close similarities between D. strictum and D. tenuifolium, mature fruits are necessary to distinguish the two species. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 11. | FNA vol. 11. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | D. angustifolium var. gramineum, Meibomia graminea | Hedysarum strictum, Meibomia stricta |
Name authority | A. Gray: Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 5(6): 46. (1853) | (Pursh) de Candolle in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle: Prodr. 2: 329. (1825) |
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