Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Fabales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA (5/21/15):
Desmodium tortuosum
FAMILY
Fabaceae
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Florida Tick-trefoil from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
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, 1938)
Meibomia purpurea
COMMON NAME:
Florida Tick-trefoil, dixie tick-trefoil
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
JK Marlow jkm161106_084
November Williamsburg County SC
)
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.
)
JK Marlow jkm161106_089
November Williamsburg County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm161106_090
November Williamsburg County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm161106_091
November Williamsburg County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm161106_091b
November Williamsburg County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm161106_094
November Williamsburg County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm161106_097
November Williamsburg County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm161106_099
November Williamsburg County SC
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, 1938)
Meibomia purpurea
4059
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)
Look for it in fields, woodland borders, disturbed areas, per Weakley's Flora
Click here to see a more detailed map from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Herbarium,
or click here to see a map from SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
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!