Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Florida Tick-trefoil from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
4059
Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Fabales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA (5/21/15):
Desmodium tortuosum
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Desmodium tortuosum
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 098-26-009:
Desmodium tortuosum
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933)
Meibomia purpurea
COMMON NAME:
Florida Tick-trefoil, dixie tick-trefoil
To see a detailed map, click here
Look for it in fields, woodland borders, disturbed areas, per Weakley's Flora
Forb
Annual
Native? Non-native? perhaps only introduced in the southeastern US
Documented growing wild in
GA
NC
SC
Common in Coastal Plain (uncommon in NC Coastal Plain) (rare in Piedmont)
LEAVES:
Odd-pinnately compound: 3 leaflets
Alternate
Stipules are persistent.
Stipels persistent.
FLOWER:
Summer
Rose-purplish
Bilaterally symmetrical
2-lipped calyx
5-parted papilionaceous corolla
10 stamens, diadelphous, 9 and 1
Superior ovary
Flowers in panicles and racemes
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Loment with 2-7 nearly symmetrical segments
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
Desmodium tortuosum FAMILY Fabaceae
Florida Tick-trefoil, dixie tick-trefoil
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Florida Tick-trefoil from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
Click the thumbnails to see larger pictures.
JK Marlow jkm161106_086
November Williamsburg County SC
Loment of 2-7 segments, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. Each 3-3.5mm long, per Weakley's Flora.
COMPARE
Beggar's Lice (Tick-trefoil) species
JK Marlow jkm161106_086b
November Williamsburg County SC
Loment segments nearly symmetrical (diamond, rounded-diamond, or ~ elliptical), per Weakley's Flora.
COMPARE
loments of Desmodium species
JK Marlow jkm161106_088b
November Williamsburg County SC
Stipules and stipels persistent. Leaflets often more than 2x long as wide, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas.