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naked tick-trefoil

fewflower tick trefoil, fewflower tickclover

Stems

dimorphic; leafy stems ascending to erect, unbranched, 10–50 cm, glabrous or sparsely pilose;

leafless or nearly leafless stems essentially peduncles arising from base of plant, erect, divergent, or spreading, to 70 cm.

monomorphic; ascending or spreading, branched or unbranched, 20–60 cm, uncinate-puberulent and sparsely pilose.

Leaves

3-foliolate, 4–7 usually whorled, sometimes scattered on stem;

stipules deciduous and rarely observed, linear, 2–2.5 mm;

petiole 4.5–12.5 cm;

leaflets usually estipellate, rarely partly stipellate, blades with sparsely pilose veins on both surfaces, sometimes glabrate adaxially;

lateral blades oblique, nearly as large as terminal;

terminal blade rhombic, elliptic, obovate, or orbiculate, 4.5–12 × 3–8 cm, apex acute or short-acuminate.

3-foliolate, usually 4–6 and alternate;

stipules caducous, subulate to narrowly ovate, 1.5–5 mm, apex acute;

petiole 5.5–6.5 cm;

leaflets often estipellate, sometimes stipellate, surfaces appressed-pubescent;

lateral blade oblique, slightly smaller than terminal;

terminal blade broadly obovate to rhombic, 3–9 × 4–6.5 cm, apex acute or short-acuminate.

Inflorescences

on peduncle arising from base of plant, branched;

rachis white-pilose and uncinate-puberulent;

primary bract narrowly ovate to subulate, 5 mm.

usually terminal, mostly unbranched, sometimes axillary from distal leaf axils and relatively short;

rachis white-pilose and densely uncinate-puberulent;

primary bract linear to narrowly ovate, 1–4 mm.

Pedicels

slender, 10–25 mm, glabrous.

stout, 2–7 mm, uncinate-puberulent.

Flowers

calyx 1.5–2.5 mm, white-puberulent, hairs scattered, long, stiff;

corolla usually pink, rarely white, 6–9 mm, keel connate along abaxial margin (enclosing reproductive organs).

calyx 1.5–1.8 mm, white-puberulent, hairs rather abundant, long, stiff;

corolla white, 4.5–6.5 mm, keel distinct, not connate along abaxial margin (exposing reproductive organs).

Loments

1–4-articulate;

segments asymmetrically depressed-obtriangular, 7–12 × 4–5 mm;

stipe (5–)10–22 mm, glabrous or glabrate.

1 or 2(or 3)-articulate;

segments asymmetrically obtriangular, 9–14 × 6–8 mm;

stipe 5–9 mm, uncinate-puberulent.

2n

= 22.

Hylodesmum nudiflorum

Hylodesmum pauciflorum

Phenology Flowering spring–summer(–fall). Flowering summer–fall.
Habitat Deciduous wood­lands and borders, ravines, slopes, dry open woods. Rich, moist woodlands, bottomlands or slopes, drier uplands.
Elevation 50–150 m. (200–500 ft.) 10–300 m. (0–1000 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; ON; QC
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; DC; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OH; OK; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Flower-bearing stems of Hylodesmum nudiflorum are usually leafless; occasionally one leaf will be present or, very rarely, multiple leaves. Rare plants with a whorl of leaves on flower-bearing stems most often occur after the vegetative stem has been extensively damaged; they superficially resemble H. glutinosum but retain the remainder of the vegetative and reproductive differences.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Hylodesmum pauciflorum can be locally abundant in mesic woods with rich soil, although it is less common than the other two members of the genus in the flora area. The stems are initially upright and are weak; they are often bent by wind and rain as the season progresses. The absence of fusion of the keel petals is unusual for the tribe; apparently, the pollination biology of H. pauciflorum has never been examined.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Hylodesmum Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Hylodesmum
Sibling taxa
H. glutinosum, H. pauciflorum
H. glutinosum, H. nudiflorum
Synonyms Hedysarum nudiflorum, Desmodium nudiflorum, Meibomia nudiflora Hedysarum pauciflorum, Desmodium pauciflorum, Meibomia pauciflora
Name authority (Linnaeus) H. Ohashi & R. R. Mill: Edinburgh J. Bot. 57: 180. (2000) (Nuttall) H. Ohashi & R. R. Mill: Edinburgh J. Bot. 57: 181. (2000)
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