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cream ticktrefoil

Santa Rita Mountain ticktrefoil

Habit Herbs, perennial. Herbs, perennial, diffuse; base woody, rootstock woody.
Stems

decumbent or prostrate, 50–100 cm, patent-villous and uncinate-puberulent.

erect, ascending, or procumbent, usually striate, 30–60(–100) cm, sparsely to densely pilose and uncinate-pubescent.

Leaves

usually trifoliolate, rarely unifoliolate;

stipules persistent, reflexed in age, deltate or ovate, 5–12 mm, base obliquely cordate, subamplexicaul;

petiole 10–35 mm;

leaflet blades ovate, ± leathery, apex obtuse or sometimes acute, surfaces prominently reticulate-veined adaxially, uncinate-puberulent on veins or glabrescent abaxially, uncinate-puberulent adaxially;

terminal blade 30–75 × 22–53 mm, length 1.2–2 times width.

trifoliolate, sometimes unifoliolate proximally;

stipules persistent, recurved, subulate, 2–3 mm;

petiole 7–25 mm;

leaflet blades usually oblong-ovate to narrowly so, sometimes broadly elliptic to oblong, apex obtuse or acute, surfaces sparsely uncinate-puberulent;

terminal blade 10–30(–35) × 8–10 mm, length 1–3.5 times width.

Inflorescences

ascending to erect, axillary distally and unbranched, sometimes also terminal and branched;

rachis pilose and uncinate-puberulent;

primary bracts caducous, broadly ovate, 5–6 mm.

usually unbranched, sometimes branched;

rachis patent uncinate-puberulent;

primary bracts narrowly ovate, 2.5–3 mm.

Pedicels

10–20 mm.

8–15 mm.

Flowers

calyx 3–4 mm, pilose and uncinate-puberulent, tube 1 mm;

abaxial lobes 3 mm, lateral lobes 1.2–1.5 mm, to 2.5 mm in fruit;

corolla white or ochroleucous, 7–8 mm.

calyx 1.5–2.5 mm, pubescent, tube 1 mm;

abaxial lobes 1.5 mm, lateral lobes 1 mm;

corolla pink-purple, 4–5 mm.

Loments

sutures deeply crenate abaxially, crenate adaxially, contorted by irregular folding of margins near or at connection between segments;

connections adaxial, 1/5–1/4 as broad as segments;

segments 3–5, suborbiculate to subrhombic, 7–10 × 5–8 mm, symmetrically rounded abaxially, convex adaxially, glabrous, sutures uncinate-pubescent;

stipe 0 mm (or indistinctly stipitate by narrowing proximal segment).

sutures subequally crenate;

connections central, 1/5–1/4 as broad as segments;

segments 2–7, rounded or broadly elliptic, 2.5–3 × 2.5 mm, abaxially and adaxially rounded, glabrous or slightly puberulent;

stipe 1–2 mm.

Desmodium ochroleucum

Desmodium retinens

Phenology Flowering summer–fall. Flowering late summer–fall.
Habitat Open woodland, roadsides. Wooded or grassy rocky slopes, oak or oak-pine forests.
Elevation 30–500 m. (100–1600 ft.) 1400–2100 m. (4600–6900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; DC; DE; FL; GA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; TN; VA
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; Mexico; Central America (Guatemala)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The range of Desmodium ochroleucum is highly fragmented, and only about a dozen populations are known. Fire suppression may have been responsible for closing the canopy in forests in which D. ochroleucum is usually found (R. W. Tyndall and P. L. Groller 2006).

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

Desmodium retinens is known in the flora area from Cochise, Graham, Pima, and Santa Cruz counties.

(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. 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. 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. 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 ochroleuca D. wislizeni, Meibomia retinens
Name authority M. A. Curtis ex Canby: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 16: 17. (1864) Schlechtendal: Linnaea 12: 311. (1838)
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