Desmodium triflorum |
Desmodium viridiflorum |
|
---|---|---|
creeping tick trefoil, matty desmodium, three-flower beggarweed, threeflower ticktrefoil, tropical trefoil |
velvetleaf tickclover, velvetleaf ticktrefoil |
|
Habit | Herbs, annual or perennial, often mat-forming; stoloniferous. | Herbs or subshrubs, perennial. |
Stems | prostrate, densely branched, 20–80 cm, ascending-pilose or strigose. |
erect, mostly unbranched, 30–300 cm, densely (sparsely in age) villosulous, also densely uncinate-puberulent and -pubescent. |
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 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 | terminal fascicles opposite distal leaf, appearing axillary, unbranched; rachis pubescent; primary bracts narrowly ovate, 4 mm. |
branched or unbranched; rachis uncinate-pubescent and sparsely villous; primary bracts narrowly deltate, 3 mm, pilose. |
Pedicels | 8–12 mm. |
3–9 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 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 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. |
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. |
= 22. |
Desmodium triflorum |
Desmodium viridiflorum |
|
Phenology | Flowering year-round. | Flowering summer–fall. |
Habitat | Ruderal areas, lawns, disturbed open woodlands. | Open, often cutover woodlands and borders, old fields, roadsides. |
Elevation | 0–50 m. (0–200 ft.) | 0–900 m. (0–3000 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]
|
AL; AR; DC; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV
|
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.) |
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 | Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Desmodium | Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Desmodium |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Hedysarum triflorum, Grona triflora, Meibomia triflora, Sagotia triflora | Hedysarum viridiflorum, Meibomia viridiflora |
Name authority | (Linnaeus) de Candolle in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle: Prodr. 2: 334. (1825) | (Linnaeus) de Candolle in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle: Prodr. 2: 329. (1825) |
Web links |