Desmodium retinens |
Desmodium viridiflorum |
|
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Santa Rita Mountain ticktrefoil |
velvetleaf tickclover, velvetleaf ticktrefoil |
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Habit | Herbs, perennial, diffuse; base woody, rootstock woody. | Herbs or subshrubs, perennial. |
Stems | erect, ascending, or procumbent, usually striate, 30–60(–100) cm, sparsely to densely pilose and uncinate-pubescent. |
erect, mostly unbranched, 30–300 cm, densely (sparsely in age) villosulous, also densely uncinate-puberulent and -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. |
trifoliolate; stipules caducous, narrowly ovate to ovate, 3–7 mm; petiole 15–40 mm; leaflet blades broadly ovate or broadly rhombic, base acute to cuneate or truncate, apex acute to acuminate, surfaces densely velvety or villous, especially on veins abaxially, uncinate-puberulent and obscurely strigose on veins adaxially; terminal blade 50–120(–150) × 35–90 mm, length 1–1.5(–2) times width. |
Inflorescences | usually unbranched, sometimes branched; rachis patent uncinate-puberulent; primary bracts narrowly ovate, 2.5–3 mm. |
branched or unbranched; rachis uncinate-pubescent and sparsely villous; primary bracts narrowly deltate, 3 mm, pilose. |
Pedicels | 8–15 mm. |
3–9 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. |
calyx 2–3 mm, spreading-pilose, tube 2 mm; abaxial lobes 2.5–4.5 mm, lateral lobes 2–4 mm; corolla purple to pink or pallid lavender, 7–8 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 subdentate abaxially, sinuate adaxially; connections adaxial, 1/3–1/2 as broad as segments; segments (3 or)4 or 5, rhombic, 5–8(–9) × 3–3.5 mm, symmetrically angled abaxially, straight or convex adaxially, moderately to densely uncinate-puberulent throughout; stipe 3–6 mm. |
2n | = 22. |
|
Desmodium retinens |
Desmodium viridiflorum |
|
Phenology | Flowering late summer–fall. | Flowering summer–fall. |
Habitat | Wooded or grassy rocky slopes, oak or oak-pine forests. | Open, often cutover woodlands and borders, old fields, roadsides. |
Elevation | 1400–2100 m. (4600–6900 ft.) | 0–900 m. (0–3000 ft.) |
Distribution |
AZ; Mexico; Central America (Guatemala) |
AL; AR; DC; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV
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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 Illinois, Desmodium viridiflorum is known only from Alexander County. (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 viridiflorum, Meibomia viridiflora |
Name authority | Schlechtendal: Linnaea 12: 311. (1838) | (Linnaeus) de Candolle in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle: Prodr. 2: 329. (1825) |
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