Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Fabales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Desmodium perplexum
FAMILY
Fabaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
This species and D. glabellum are the two most typical yet most difficult species to separate in NC. Learn more at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
Traditionally, D. glabellum and D. perplexum have been segregated largely by stem pubescence type and density. In "Desmodium glabellum and D. perplexum (Fabaceae): a morphological reevaluation", Thomas presents an alternative treatment.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Desmodium perplexum
FAMILY
Fabaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Desmodium paniculatum var. paniculatum
SYNONYMOUS WITH Desmodium glabellum and D. perplexum (Fabaceae): a morphological reevaluation (Thomas, 2020)
Desmodium perplexum
SYNONYMOUS WITH Native & naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the US (Isely, 1998)
Desmodium perplexum
INCLUDED WITHIN Manual of Vascular Plants of NE US & Adjacent Canada (Gleason & Cronquist,1991)
Desmodium glabellum
INCLUDED WITHIN Guide to the Vascular Plants of the Blue Ridge (Wofford, 1989)
Desmodium paniculatum var. dillenii
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 098-26-023:
Desmodium perplexum FAMILY Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Meibomia dillenii
COMMON NAME:
Perplexing Tick-trefoil, Dillen's Tick-trefoil
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_medi8_001_lvd
)
JK Marlow jkm190618_9259
June Greenville County SC
Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area
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JK Marlow jkm170826_747
August Spartanburg County SC
Terminal leaflets narrowly ovate to broadly elliptic-ovate (most on the wider end of this range), per Weakley's Flora (2022).
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JK Marlow jkm170826_751
August Spartanburg County SC
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JK Marlow jkm170826_766
August Spartanburg County SC
Leaves mostly all the same size and not or little extending onto the flowering branches, per Weakley's Flora (2022).
)
JK Marlow jkm170826_768
August Spartanburg County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm120908_437
September Greenville County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm120908_439
September Greenville County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm120908_450
September Greenville County SC
Each side (from the isthmus to the broadest point) of ventral margin of most articles concave, per Weakley's Flora (2022).
COMPARE
loments of Desmodium species
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JK Marlow jkm120908_475
September Greenville County SC
Corollas mostly 6-9mm long, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
COMPARE
Beggar's Lice (Tick-trefoil) species
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Desmodium perplexum
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Desmodium perplexum
FAMILY
Fabaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Desmodium paniculatum var. paniculatum
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Desmodium glabellum and D. perplexum (Fabaceae): a morphological reevaluation (Thomas, 2020)
Desmodium perplexum
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Native & naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the US (Isely, 1998)
Desmodium perplexum
INCLUDED WITHIN
Manual of Vascular Plants of NE US & Adjacent Canada (Gleason & Cronquist,1991)
Desmodium glabellum
INCLUDED WITHIN
Guide to the Vascular Plants of the Blue Ridge (Wofford, 1989)
Desmodium paniculatum var. dillenii
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 098-26-023:
Desmodium perplexum
FAMILY
Fabaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Meibomia dillenii
3465
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Fields, woodland borders, hammocks, disturbed areas, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & possibly Georgia
Common (uncommon in GA Mountains & GA Piedmont) (rare in GA Coastal Plain)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Odd-pinnately compound: 3 leaflets
Alternate
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 usually 2-4 broadly rhombic to triangular segments?
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".