Desmodium retinens |
Desmodium cuspidatum |
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Santa Rita Mountain ticktrefoil |
large-bract tick-trefoil |
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Habit | Herbs, perennial, diffuse; base woody, rootstock woody. | Herbs, perennial. |
Stems | erect, ascending, or procumbent, usually striate, 30–60(–100) cm, sparsely to densely pilose and uncinate-pubescent. |
erect or ascending, usually striate, 50–150 cm, usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely uncinate-pubescent or pilose. |
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. |
trifoliolate; stipules usually persistent, narrowly ovate or subulate, 10–20 mm; petiole 40–70 mm; leaflet blades ovate to broadly ovate, apex sharply acuminate to shortly cuspidate, surfaces glabrous (except veins spreading-villosulous); terminal blade 50–120 × 30–70 mm, length 1.5–3 times width. |
Inflorescences | usually unbranched, sometimes branched; rachis patent uncinate-puberulent; primary bracts narrowly ovate, 2.5–3 mm. |
branched; rachis densely uncinate-pubescent to rarely glabrescent; primary bracts conspicuously covering apex of inflorescences, narrowly ovate, 8–14 mm. |
Pedicels | 8–15 mm. |
4–8 mm, densely patent uncinate-puberulent and sparsely pilose. |
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. |
calyx 3–4 mm, glabrate, margins sparsely ciliate, lobes pilose, tube 1.5–2 mm; abaxial lobes 3–4 mm, lateral lobes 2–3 mm; corolla purple, 8–12 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. |
sutures dentate abaxially, sinuate adaxially; connections adaxial, 1/2 as broad as segments; segments (1–)4–7, obliquely narrow-rhombic or suborbiculate, (7–)9–11 × 4–5 mm, angled abaxially, slightly convex adaxially, sparsely uncinate-puberulent, sutures densely uncinate-puberulent; stipe 1–2.5 mm. |
Desmodium retinens |
Desmodium cuspidatum |
|
Phenology | Flowering late summer–fall. | Flowering summer–fall. |
Habitat | Wooded or grassy rocky slopes, oak or oak-pine forests. | Rich, moist woodlands, thickets, openings, dry, rocky woodlands, ruderal areas. |
Elevation | 1400–2100 m. (4600–6900 ft.) | 0–1000 m. (0–3300 ft.) |
Distribution |
AZ; Mexico; Central America (Guatemala) |
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; ON
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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.) |
In Texas, Desmodium cuspidatum is known only from Bowie County, at the northeastern corner of the state. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 11. | FNA vol. 11. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | D. wislizeni, Meibomia retinens | Hedysarum cuspidatum, D. bracteosum, D. cuspidatum var. longifolium, D. grandiflorum, Meibomia grandiflora, M. longifolia |
Name authority | Schlechtendal: Linnaea 12: 311. (1838) | (Muhlenberg ex Willdenow) de Candolle ex G. Don in J. C. Loudon: Hort. Brit., 309. (1830) |
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