OF THE CAROLINAS & GEORGIA

Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Fabales

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Desmodium obtusum   FAMILY Fabaceae   Go to FSUS key



SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Desmodium obtusum   FAMILY Fabaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)

Desmodium marilandicum var. lancifolium

SYNONYMOUS WITH Native & naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the US (Isely, 1998)

Desmodium obtusum

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 098-26-015:

Desmodium obtusum   FAMILY Fabaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)

Desmodium rigidum

SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)

Meibomia rigida

 

COMMON NAME:
Stiff Tick-trefoil


         To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.

image of Desmodium obtusum, Stiff Tick-trefoil

USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913    pnd_meri_001_lvd

        

image of Desmodium obtusum, Stiff Tick-trefoil

JK Marlow    jkm200517_4966

May    Transylvania County    NC

DuPont State Forest

image of Desmodium obtusum, Stiff Tick-trefoil

JK Marlow    jkm200625_6084

June    Transylvania County    NC

DuPont State Forest

image of Desmodium obtusum, Stiff Tick-trefoil

JK Marlow    jkm190726_0178

July    Transylvania County    NC

DuPont State Forest

This species has among the smallest pods and segments of any in the genus, per Vascular Plants of North Carolina.

image of Desmodium obtusum, Stiff Tick-trefoil

JK Marlow    jkm190726_0179

July    Transylvania County    NC

DuPont State Forest

Loments similar to D. ciliare & D. marilandicum, with 2-3 rounded segments, per Leguminosae (Fabaceae), vol 3, part 2, Vascular flora of the southeastern United States (Isely, 1990).


click here to see other plants that look similar to this COMPARE loments of Desmodium species

image of Desmodium obtusum, Stiff Tick-trefoil

JK Marlow    jkm190726_0186

July    Transylvania County    NC

DuPont State Forest

Petioles of median leaves usually shorter than width of lateral leaflets, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).

image of Desmodium obtusum, Stiff Tick-trefoil

JK Marlow    jkm190726_0189

July    Transylvania County    NC

DuPont State Forest

image of Desmodium obtusum, Stiff Tick-trefoil

JK Marlow    jkm190726_0253

July    Transylvania County    NC

DuPont State Forest

Leaflets fairly thick and rigid (in fact, formerly named D. rigidum), per Vascular Plants of North Carolina.

image of Desmodium obtusum, Stiff Tick-trefoil

JK Marlow    jkm190726_0258

July    Transylvania County    NC

DuPont State Forest

image of Desmodium obtusum, Stiff Tick-trefoil

JK Marlow    jkm190726_0275

July    Transylvania County    NC

DuPont State Forest

A fairly slender Desmodium, ranging to 2-3' tall, but with few branches, per Vascular Plants of North Carolina.

image of Desmodium obtusum, Stiff Tick-trefoil

JK Marlow    jkm190825_0941

August    Transylvania County    NC

DuPont State Forest

The terminal leaflet is usually elongate, per Native and Naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the United States (Isely, 1998).

image of Desmodium obtusum, Stiff Tick-trefoil

JK Marlow    jkm190825_0943

August    Transylvania County    NC

DuPont State Forest

image of Desmodium obtusum, Stiff Tick-trefoil

JK Marlow    jkm190825_0952

August    Transylvania County    NC

DuPont State Forest

Corolla pink-purple (-white), 4.5-6mm long, per Leguminosae (Fabaceae), vol 3, part 2, Vascular flora of the southeastern United States (Isely, 1990).

image of Desmodium obtusum, Stiff Tick-trefoil

JK Marlow    jkm190825_0953

August    Transylvania County    NC

DuPont State Forest

image of Desmodium obtusum, Stiff Tick-trefoil

JK Marlow    jkm190825_0955

August    Transylvania County    NC

DuPont State Forest

Oops. A pod with four segments...

image of Desmodium obtusum, Stiff Tick-trefoil

JK Marlow    jkm200808_6917

August    Transylvania County    NC

DuPont State Forest

image of Desmodium obtusum, Stiff Tick-trefoil

Bruce A. Sorrie    bas_desmo_obtusum1

September    Moore County    NC

Inflorescence usually paniculate. Pedicels 4-17mm long, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).


click here to see other plants that look similar to this COMPARE Beggar's Lice (Tick-trefoil) species

image of Desmodium obtusum, Stiff Tick-trefoil

JK Marlow    jkm180924_4884

September    McCormick County    SC

Parks Mill

Stems and petioles densely uncinate-pubescent, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).

image of Desmodium obtusum, Stiff Tick-trefoil

JK Marlow    jkm180924_4887

September    McCormick County    SC

Parks Mill

Leaflets sparsely to densely short-pubescent and reticulate below, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).

image of Desmodium obtusum, Stiff Tick-trefoil

JK Marlow    jkm220909_9823

September    Transylvania County    NC

DuPont State Forest

 

 

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Desmodium obtusum   FAMILY Fabaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Desmodium obtusum   FAMILY Fabaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Desmodium marilandicum var. lancifolium

SYNONYMOUS WITH Native & naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the US (Isely, 1998)
Desmodium obtusum

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 098-26-015:
Desmodium obtusum   FAMILY Fabaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)
Desmodium rigidum

SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Meibomia rigida

 

Find by SCIENTIFIC NAME:

2971

Forb
Perennial

Habitat: Longleaf pine sandhills and dry pine flatwoods, other dry pine woodlands, fields, woodland borders, disturbed areas, per Weakley's Flora

Native to the Carolinas & Georgia

Common

map
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.

Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)

LEAVES:
Odd-pinnately compound: 3 leaflets
Alternate
Stipules soon deciduous.
Stipels persistent.

FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Rose-purplish
Bilaterally symmetrical
2-lipped calyx
5-parted papilionaceous corolla
10 stamens, diadelphous, 9 and 1
Superior ovary

Flowers in terminal panicles

FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Loment with 1-3 rounded segments

 

TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!



 


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