Desmodium lindheimeri
Desmodium marilandicum
Lindheimer's ticktrefoil
Maryland tickclover, smooth small-leaf tick-trefoil
erect, branched, angled and grooved, 40–60 cm, uncinate-puberulent and -pubescent, also sparsely pilose.
ascending to erect, usually striate, branched or unbranched, 30–150 cm, glabrous or sparsely to densely uncinate-puberulent, sometimes also patent long-pilose.
trifoliolate;
stipules ± persistent, reflexed, broadly or obliquely ovate, 7–8 mm, base subamplexicaul;
petiole 10–50 mm;
leaflet blades usually ovate, rhombic to broadly ovate, or semiorbiculate, rarely narrowly ovate, base truncate or broadly obtuse, apex acute, surfaces densely villosulous abaxially, uncinate-puberulent and pilose adaxially;
terminal blade 50–100 × 40–75 mm, length usually less than 2 times width.
trifoliolate;
stipules caducous or moderately persistent, subulate to narrowly ovate, 2–5 mm;
petiole 1–30 mm;
leaflet blades narrowly ovate, elliptic, elliptic-ovate, ovate-rhombic, or suborbiculate, apex obtuse or acute, mucronulate, surfaces sparsely to densely uncinate-puberulent and appressed-villous abaxially, uncinate-puberulent or glabrescent adaxially;
terminal blade 9–75 × 6–33 mm, length 1.5–4(–5) times width.
usually unbranched;
rachis densely patent uncinate-pubescent;
primary bracts broadly ovate, 4.5–7 mm.
terminal and branched, axillary and unbranched;
rachis uncinate-puberulent;
primary bracts ovate, 1.5–3 mm.
5 mm.
3–19 mm, uncinate-puberulent.
calyx 2–2.5 mm, uncinate-puberulent, tube 1 mm;
abaxial lobes 1–1.5 mm, lateral lobes 0.7 mm;
corolla blue-green, 6–7 mm.
calyx 1.5–2.5 mm, pubescent (not uncinate-puberulent), tube 1 mm;
abaxial lobes 1.2–1.5 mm, lateral lobes 1 mm;
corolla usually lavender to red-violet or pink-purple, rarely white, 4–6 mm.
margins ± involute and contorted, sutures deeply crenate abaxially, shallowly dentate adaxially;
connections central, 1/5 as broad as segments;
segments (1–)3–5, subrhombic to semiovate, 7–15 × 5–8 mm, rounded abaxially, obtusely angled adaxially, glabrous, sutures densely uncinate-pubescent;
stipe 2–3.5 mm.
sutures crenate abaxially, sinuate adaxially;
connections adaxial, 1/4–1/2 as broad as segments;
segments 1–4, broadly elliptic, 3.5–5.5 × 2.5–4 mm, rounded abaxially, convex adaxially, uncinate-puberulent throughout;
stipe 1–2 mm.
= 22.
Desmodium lindheimeri
Desmodium marilandicum
Desmodium lindheimeri resembles D. canescens and its relatives, especially D. ochroleucum, in having relatively large loments. It is common in its narrow range in the Edwards Plateau (Comal County) and is widespread in Mexico (M. Enquist 1995).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).
Desmodium ciliare, D. lancifolium, and D. marilandicum have generally been recognized as closely related but distinct species in floras of the United States. They commonly have two or three articulate, small loments. D. Isely (1990, 1998) grouped them as the D. ciliare Group and regarded forms intermediate between them as putative hybrids: D. ciliare × D. marilandicum and D. ciliare × D. lancifolium. They have been separated by differences in the leaflets and pubescence, but the differences are not always clear. They are treated here as one species with three varieties.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Terminal leaflet blades elliptic-ovate to narrowly ovate, 50–75 × 20–33 mm, apex acute to obtuse. | var. lancifolium |
1. Terminal leaflet blades elliptic, ovate, ovate-rhombic, or suborbiculate, 9–40 × 6–17 mm, apex obtuse. | → 2 |
2. Petioles 12–30 mm, sparsely uncinate-puberulent; stems with a few, scattered hairs; pedicels (6–)8–19 mm. | var. marilandicum |
2. Petioles 1–15 mm; stems and petioles uncinate-puberulent and patent long-pilose; pedicels. | var. ciliare |
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
