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sessile tickclover, sessile-leaf tick-trefoil, sessileleaf tickclover

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

ascending to erect, usually striate, mostly unbranched, 50–100(–150) cm, medially uncinate-puberulent and uncinate-pubescent.

Leaves

trifoliolate;

stipules moderately persistent, narrowly ovate, 4–9.5 mm, apex often awn-tipped;

petiole 1–5 mm;

leaflet blades narrowly elliptic to linear, apex obtuse or acute, surfaces prominently reticulate-veined abaxially, uncinate-puberulent and subappressed pubescent abaxially, glabrate or sparsely pubescent adaxially;

terminal blade (30–)40–85 × 5–15 mm, length 4–10 times width.

Inflorescences

terminal and branched;

rachis terete to subangulate, densely uncinate-puberulent and sparsely pilose;

primary bracts ovate, 2.5–3 mm.

Pedicels

2–5 mm.

Flowers

calyx 2.5–3 mm, puberulent, tube 1.5 mm;

abaxial lobes ovate, 1.5 mm, lateral lobes ovate, 1 mm;

corolla pale lavender to reddish purple, 5 mm.

Loments

sutures deeply crenate abaxially, sinuate adaxially;

connections adaxial, 1/3 as broad as segments;

segments (1 or)2(–4), semiorbiculate, 4.5–6 × 3–4.5 mm, symmetrically rounded abaxially, nearly straight or convex adaxially, densely uncinate-puberulent throughout;

stipe 1–3 mm.

2n

= 22.

Desmodium sessilifolium

Phenology Flowering summer–fall.
Habitat Open, dry upland woods, abandoned fields, roadsides.
Elevation 0–500 m. (0–1600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; MI; MO; MS; NC; NE; NJ; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Desmodium sessilifolium is considered extirpated from Ontario.

(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. retinens, D. rosei, D. rotundifolium, D. scopulorum, D. scorpiurus, D. strictum, D. tenuifolium, D. tortuosum, D. triflorum, D. tweedyi, D. viridiflorum, D. ×humifusum
Synonyms Meibomia sessilifolia
Name authority Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 1: 363. (1840)
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