Overview
Interesting Facts
Common Names
Click on the language to view common names.
Common Names in English:
Amor Seco, Beggarlice, Copal De Coche, Desmodium Greenleaf, Green-Leaf Desmodium, Green-Leaf Tick Trefoil, Greenleaf Desmodium, Greenleaf Tick Trefoil, Greenleaf Ticktrefoil, Maricao, Mozote, Pega Pega, Zarza Blanca
Common Names in French:
Desmodie
Common Names in German:
Grünes Desmodium
Common Names in Informal Latinized N:
Desmodium Greenleaf
Common Names in Spanish:
Amor Seco, Desmodio Verde, Pega Pega
Description
Genus Desmodium
Herbs, undershrubs or shrubs
, prostrate
to erect
. Leaf 1-5-foliolate, leaflets
petiolulate
, stipels
1 in lateral
and 2 in terminal
leaflet; stipules free
or united
, striate
and ciliate
. Inflorescence terminal or axillary
, raceme
or panicle or subumbellate. Bract striate and pubescent
. Calyx 2-lipped, the upper lobe
bifid, the lower 3 toothed
or the calyx equally 5-lobed. Corolla exceeding the calyx. Stamens monadelphous
or diadelphous
, 9+1, anthers
uniform
. Ovary sessile or stipitate
, ovules 2 to many. Fruit sessile or stipitate, transversely jointed
, articles variously shaped, glabrous
to densely pubescent, hairs
straight or hooked
.
A genus with about 300-350 species distributed in tropical
and temperate
areas of the world except Europe, New Zealand.[1]
Physical Description
Habit: Herb, Shrub • Climbing: Not Climbing • Growth Form: Single Stem • Shape and Orientation: Decumbent
Flowers: Bloom Period: Indeterminate • Flower Color: Purple • Flower Conspicuous: Yes
Seeds: Seed per Pound: 340000 • Seed Spread Rate: Moderate • Seedling Vigor: Medium • Fruit/Seed Abundance: Medium • Fruit/Seed Color: Brown • Fruit/Seed Conspicuous: No • Cold Stratification Required: No
Foliage: Foliage Color: Green • Foliage Porosity Summer: Dense • Foliage Porosity Winter: Dense • Foliage Texture: Medium • Fall Conspicuous: No • Leaf Retention: Yes
Size/Age/Growth
Active Growth Period: Year Round • Growth Rate: Moderate • After Harvest Regrowth Rate: Rapid • Mature Height (feet): 3.0 • Vegetative Spread Rate: Slow • Lifespan: Lifespan
Habitat
Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 4,653 meters (0 to 15,266 feet).[2]
Biology
Reproduction
Duration: Perennial • Coppice Potential: No • Progagated by Bulbs: No • Propagated by Bare Root: Yes • Propagated by Container: Yes • Propagated by Corms: No • Propagated by Cuttings: No • Propagated by Seed: Yes • Propagated by Sod: No • Propagated by Sprigs: No • Propagated by Tubers: No • Fruit/Seed Period Begin: Spring • Fruit/Seed Period End: Spring • Fruit/Seed Persistence: Yes
Growth
Soil: Adapted to Medium Textured: Adapted to Medium Textured Soils • Adapted to Coarse Textured Soils: Yes • Anaerobic Tolerance: None • Salinity Tolerance: None • CaCO3 Tolerance: Medium • Minimum pH: 5.5 • Maximum pH: 7.0 • Fertility Requirement: Medium
Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Sun to Partial Shade. • Shade Tolerance: Intermediate
Moisture: Drought Tolerance: Medium • Minimum Precipitation: 35 • Maximum Precipitation: 50 • Moisture Use: Medium
Temperature: Minimum Temperature (F): 57 • Minimum Frost Free Days: 365
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Plantae
()
- Haeckel, 1866
- Plants
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
()
- Cavalier-Smith, 1981
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
()
- Sinnott, 1935 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Vascular Plants
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
()
- Class:
Spermatopsida
()
- Brongniart, 1843
- Subclass:
Rosidae
()
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Superorder:
Rosanae
()
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Order:
Fabales
()
- Bromhead, 1838
- Family:
Leguminosae
()
- A.L. de Jussieu, 1789, nom. cons.
- Subfamily:
Papilionoideae
()
- Tribe:
Desmodieae
()
- Genus:
Desmodium
()
- Desvaux, 1813, nom. cons.
- Ticktrefoil
- Specific epithet:
intortum
- (Mill.)Urb.
- Botanical name: - Desmodium intortum (Mill.)Urb.
- Specific epithet:
intortum
- (Mill.)Urb.
- Genus:
Desmodium
(
- Tribe:
Desmodieae
(
- Subfamily:
Papilionoideae
(
- Family:
Leguminosae
(
- Order:
Fabales
(
- Superorder:
Rosanae
(
- Subclass:
Rosidae
(
- Class:
Spermatopsida
(
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
Synonyms
Desmodium hjalmarsonii (Schindl.)standl. • Desmodium intortum var. apiculatum B. G. Schub. • Desmodium trigonum Dc. • Hedysarum intortum Mill. • Hedysarum trigonum Sw. • Meibomia hjalmarsonii Schindl. • Meibomia intorta (Mill.)s. F. Blake • Meibomia trigona F. W. Gandara
Notes
Name
Status: Accepted Name
.
Comment: Climbing
: Not climbing, Conservation
Status: Not Threatened,
Habit: Shrub
, Lifespan: Perennial
Similar Species
Members of the genus Desmodium
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 83 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:
D. adscendens (Matite) · D. affine (Amor Seco) · D. angustifolium (Grass-Leaf Tick Trefoil) · D. arizonicum (Arizona Tick Trefoil) · D. axillare (Zarzabacoa De Monte) · D. axillare var. acutifolium (Zarzabacoa De Monte) · D. axillare var. axillare (Zarzabacoa De Monte) · D. axillare var. stoloniferum (Zarzabacoa De Monte) · D. barbatum (Zarzabacoa Peluda) · D. batocaulon (San Pedro Tick Trefoil) · D. cajanifolium (Tropical Tick Trefoil) · D. canadense (Beggar's Lice) · D. canescens (Hoary Tick-Trefoil) · D. ciliare (Hairy Small-Leaf Tick Trefoil) · D. cinerascens (Spiked Tick Trefoil) · D. cubense (Cuban Tick Trefoil) · D. cuspidatum (Large-Bract Tick Trefoil) · D. cuspidatum var. cuspidatum (Largebract Ticktrefoil) · D. cuspidatum var. longifolium (Largebract Ticktrefoil) · D. discolor (Horse Marmalade) · D. discolor var. discolor (Horse Marmalade) · D. discolor var. villosum (Horse Marmalade) · D. fernaldii (Fernald's Tick-Trefoil) · D. floridanum (Florida Tick Trefoil) · D. glabellum (Dillen Tick-Trefoil) · D. glabrum (Tick Trefoil) · D. glutinosum (Large Tick-Trefoil) · D. grahamii (Graham's Tick Trefoil) · D. gunnii (Southern Tick Trefoil) · D. heterocarpon (Asian Tick Trefoil) · D. heterocarpon birmanicum (Ea Ea) · D. heterocarpon heterocarpon (Asian Ticktrefoil) · D. heterocarpon var. heterocarpon (Carpon Desmodium) · D. heterocarpon var. strigosum (Asian Ticktrefoil) · D. heterophyllum (Senivakacegu) · D. humifusum (Eastern Trailing Tickt Trefoil) · D. illinoense (Iilinois Tickclover) · D. incanum (Cepa De Caballo) · D. incanum var. angustifolium (Kaimi-Clover) · D. incanum var. incanum (Zarzabacoa Comun) · D. intortum (Amor Seco) · D. laevigatum (Smooth Tick Trefoil) · D. lindheimeri (Lindheimer's Tick-Trefoil) · D. lineatum (Sand Tick Trefoil) · D. marilandicum (Maryland Tick-Trefoil) · D. metcalfei (Metcalfe's Tick Trefoil) · D. neomexicanum (New Mexico Tick Trefoil) · D. nudiflorum (Bare-Stemmed Tick-Treefoil) · D. nuttallii (Nuttall Tick-Trefoil) · D. ochroleucum (Cream Tick Trefoil) · D. oojeinense (Sandan) · D. paniculatum (Narrow-Leaf Tick-Trefoil) · D. paniculatum var. dillenii (Panicled Tick-Clover) · D. paniculatum var. epetiolatum (Panicledleaf Ticktrefoil) · D. paniculatum var. paniculatum (Panicled Tick-Clover) · D. pauciflorum (Few-Flower Tick Trefoil) · D. perplexum (Beggar Lice) · D. procumbens (Western Trailing Tick Trefoil) · D. procumbens var. exiguum (Western Trailing Tick Trefoil) · D. procumbens var. procumbens (Western Trailing Ticktrefoil) · D. psilocarpum (Santa Cruz Island Tick Trefoil) · D. psilophyllum (Simple-Leaf Tick Trefoil) · D. ramosissimum (Petit Treff) · D. retinens (Santa Rita Mountain Tick Trefoil) · D. rigidum (Stiff Tick Trefoil) · D. rosei (Rose Tickclover) · D. rotundifolium (Prostrate Tick Trefoil) · D. sandwicense (Chili Clover) · D. scopulorum (Sonoran Tick Trefoil) · D. scorpiurus (Scorpion Tick Trefoil) · D. sericophyllum (Tick Trefoil) · D. sessilifolium (Sessile Tickclover) · D. striatum (Common Lespedeza) · D. strictum (Pine-Barren Tick Trefoil) · D. styracifolium (Coin-Leaf Desmodium) · D. tenuifolium (Slim-Leaf Tick Trefoil) · D. tortuosum (Amor Seco) · D. triflorum (Acaba Pangola) · D. trifolium (Tick Clover) · D. tweedyi (Tweedy's Tick-Trefoil) · D. uncinatum (Amor-De-Velha-Da-Folha-Grauda) · D. viridiflorum (Velvet-Leaf Tick Trefoil) · D. wydlerianum (Wydler's Ticktrefoil)
More Info
- Search for Pictures: images.google.com
- Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
- Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
- Botanical abstracts. Baltimore, Williams & Wilkins Co. url p. 212.
- Cooperative economic insect report. Hyattsville, MD. [etc.]Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs Animal and Plant Health Service. url p. 17, p. 73.
- Energy reserves and agronomic characteristics of four limpograsses (Hemarthria altissima (Poir) Stapf et C.E. Hubb) for Florida's flatwoods / by Scott Christiansen. 1982. url p. 192, p. 20.
- Flora of Costa Rica. .. by Paul C. Standley. .. 18 1937 Chicago, 1937. url p. 535.
- Flora of Guatemala: families Leguminosae, Geraniaceae, Oxalidaceae, Tropaeolaceae, Linaceae, Erythroxylaceae, Zygophyllaceae, Rutaceae, Simaroubaceae, Burseraceae, Meliaceae, and Malpighiaceae / by Paul C. Standley and Julian A. Steyermark. 24 1946 Chicago, Ill.: Chicago Natural History Museum, 1946. url p. 228, p. 231.
- Flora of Jamaica, containing descriptions of the flowering plants known from the island, by William Fawcett and Alfred Barton Rendle. London.Printed by order of the Trustees of the British Museum, 1910- url p. 34, p. 35.
- Flora of Peru / by J. Francis Macbride. 13 1943 Chicago, [Ill.]: Field Museum of Natural History, [1943] url p. 426, p. 435.
- Persistence of seven forage legumes under three grazing regimes / by James Pierre Muir. 1989. url p. 143, p. 15, p. 23, p. 24, p. 26, p. 30, p. 32, p. 35, p. 7.
- Phytologia memoirs. Plainfield, N.J.: H.N. Moldenke and A.L. Moldenke, 1980- url p. 155.
- The forests and flora of British Honduras / by Paul C. Standley and Samuel J. Record; in cooperation with the Conservator of Forests and the Agricultural Officer of the Colony. 12 1936 Chicago: [Field Museum of Natural History], 1936. url p. 183.
Notes
Contributors
Data Sources
Accessed through GBIF Data Portal January 28, 2008:
- Australian National Herbarium
- , Australian National Herbarium
- Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Bishop Museum Natural History Specimen Data
- Comisión nacional para el conocimiento y uso de la biodiversidad, Herbario del Instituto de Ecología, A.C., México
- Herbarium of the University of Aarhus, The AAU Herbarium Database
- Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad
- , Biodiversidad de Costa Rica
- International Plant Genetic Resources Institute(IPGRI), The System-wide Information Network for Genetic Resources
- Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden
- National Herbarium of New South Wales, Plants of Papua New Guinea
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Arizona State University Vascular Plant Herbarium
- SysTax, Herbarium Universitat Ulm
- SysTax, SysTax
- Taiwan Biodiversity Information Facility, Magnoliophyta
- USDA PLANTS, USDA PLANTS Database
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 3874232
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ILD-1467
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13755465
- Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:134286-3
- GRIN Nomen Number: 13644
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 25805
- Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: PDFAB1D0Q0
- U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: DEIN2
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 34840
Footnotes
- "Desmodium". in Flora of Pakistan Page 346. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
- Mean = 288.620 meters (946.916 feet), Standard Deviation = 424.670 based on 4,236 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
