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Santa Rita Mountain ticktrefoil

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

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

Leaves

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

usually unbranched, sometimes branched;

rachis patent uncinate-puberulent;

primary bracts narrowly ovate, 2.5–3 mm.

Pedicels

8–15 mm.

Flowers

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 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 retinens

Phenology Flowering late summer–fall.
Habitat Wooded or grassy rocky slopes, oak or oak-pine forests.
Elevation 1400–2100 m. (4600–6900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; Mexico; Central America (Guatemala)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.
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. 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 D. wislizeni, Meibomia retinens
Name authority Schlechtendal: Linnaea 12: 311. (1838)
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