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Nuttall's ticktrefoil

Habit Herbs or subshrubs, perennial.
Stems

ascending to erect, 30–100 cm, medially villous, uncinate-puberulent and -pubescent, scarcely pilose.

Leaves

trifoliolate;

stipules persistent, narrowly ovate or ovate, 3–6.5 mm;

petiole 5–30 mm;

leaflet blades ovate to narrowly ovate, base usually rounded, apex obtuse or acute, surfaces closely spreading-villous (often velvety) abaxially, slightly uncinate-puberulent on veins adaxially;

terminal blade 50–100 × 30–56 mm, length 1.5–2(–2.2) times width.

Inflorescences

terminal and branched;

rachis patent uncinate-puberulent and pilose;

primary bracts ovate, 2–4 mm, usually villous.

Pedicels

4–10 mm.

Flowers

calyx 2–3 mm, puberulent and sparsely pilose, tube 1 mm;

abaxial lobes 1.5–2 mm, lateral lobes 1 mm;

corolla purple or pink, 6–7 mm.

Loments

sutures deeply crenate abaxially, sinuate adaxially;

connections adaxial, 1/4–1/3 as broad as segments;

segments 2–4, semiorbiculate, 4–7 × 3–4.5 mm, rounded abaxially, convex adaxially, often somewhat angled when young, uncinate-pubescent throughout;

stipe 3–4 mm.

Desmodium nuttallii

Phenology Flowering summer–fall.
Habitat Open woodlands and bor­ders, savannas, fields, roadsides.
Elevation 0–900 m. (0–3000 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Desmodium
Sibling taxa
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. 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 Meibomia nuttallii
Name authority (Schindler) B. G. Schubert: Rhodora 52: 142. (1950)
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