Desmodium triflorum |
Desmodium rosei |
|
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creeping tick trefoil, matty desmodium, three-flower beggarweed, threeflower ticktrefoil, tropical trefoil |
rose tickclover, Rose's ticktrefoil |
|
Habit | Herbs, annual or perennial, often mat-forming; stoloniferous. | Herbs, annual; with slender taproot. |
Stems | prostrate, densely branched, 20–80 cm, ascending-pilose or strigose. |
erect, usually striate, 10–50 cm, obscurely uncinate-puberulent or glabrescent. |
Leaves | trifoliolate; stipules persistent, narrowly ovate, 3–5 mm; petiole 3–7.5 mm; leaflet blades broadly obovate or cuneate-obovate, often folding downwards, apex emarginate, surfaces usually sparsely uncinate-puberulent or subappressed-pilose along midrib abaxially, rarely entire surface, glabrous adaxially; terminal blade 5–10 × 3–11 mm, length 0.8–1.2 times width. |
trifoliolate; stipules persistent, patent, subulate or narrowly deltate (from broad base), 2–3 mm; petiole 10–35 mm; leaflet blades linear to narrowly oblong, apex obtuse, surfaces sparsely uncinate-puberulent; terminal blade 20–70 × 2–5 mm, length 7+ times width. |
Inflorescences | terminal fascicles opposite distal leaf, appearing axillary, unbranched; rachis pubescent; primary bracts narrowly ovate, 4 mm. |
usually unbranched; rachis sparsely patent uncinate-puberulent; primary bracts usually persistent, subulate, patent, 1.5–4 mm. |
Pedicels | 8–12 mm. |
15–20(–25) mm. |
Flowers | calyx 2.5–3 mm, appressed-pubescent, tube 1.2 mm; abaxial lobes 1.5–1.7 mm, lateral lobes 1.5–1.7 mm, adaxial lobes deeply 2-toothed; corolla pale pink to purplish, 4–5 mm, keel distinctly longer than wings. |
calyx 1 mm, sparsely puberulent, tube 0.8–1 mm; abaxial lobes 1 mm, lateral lobes 1 mm; corolla pink or pink-purple, 3–3.5 mm. |
Loments | sutures weakly crenate abaxially, with broad connection between segments, barely sinuate adaxially; connections 2/3–4/5 as broad as segments; segments 3–5, nearly square, 2.5–3.5 × 2.5–3 mm, symmetrically convex abaxially, slightly concave adaxially, inconspicuously uncinate-pubescent or glabrescent; stipe 0 mm. |
margins sometimes slightly involute, sutures equally crenate; connections central, 1/5 as broad as segments; segments 2–4, rounded, 3–3.5 × 3 mm, rounded abaxially and adaxially, inconspicuously reticulate, glabrous; stipe 1–1.5 mm. |
2n | = 22. |
|
Desmodium triflorum |
Desmodium rosei |
|
Phenology | Flowering year-round. | Flowering late summer–fall. |
Habitat | Ruderal areas, lawns, disturbed open woodlands. | Dry, open woodlands, with yucca, desert shrubs, grasslands, pinyon-juniper woodlands, on ledges. |
Elevation | 0–50 m. (0–200 ft.) | 1000–2400 m. (3300–7900 ft.) |
Distribution |
FL; LA; Central America; South America; Mexico (Jalisco, Sinaloa); West Indies; Asia; Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Indian Ocean Islands, Pacific Islands, Australia]
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AZ; NM; Mexico (Chihuahua, Sonora, Zacatecas)
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Discussion | Inflorescences of Desmodium triflorum are produced opposite the leaf at the distal end of stem and are usually described as axillary. The branching system of D. triflorum is a monopodial sympodium and the inflorescences are terminal (H. Ohashi and T. Nemoto 1986). Evolution of inflorescences in Desmodium is inferred from comparative morphology and anatomy with Campylotropis, Kummerowia, and Lespedeza (Nemoto and Ohashi 1990, 1993, 1996). Based on molecular and morphological data, H. Ohashi and K. Ohashi (2018) transferred Desmodium triflorum and the other species formerly in Desmodium sects. Nicolsonia (de Candolle) Bentham and Sagotia (Duchassaing & Walpers) Bentham to the genus Grona Loureiro. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Desmodium rosei is known in the flora area from southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. (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 | ||
Synonyms | Hedysarum triflorum, Grona triflora, Meibomia triflora, Sagotia triflora | |
Name authority | (Linnaeus) de Candolle in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle: Prodr. 2: 334. (1825) | B. G. Schubert: Contr. Gray Herb. 129: 22, plate 1, fig. A. (1940) |
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