Desmodium paniculatum
{{Short description|Species of legume}}
{{Speciesbox
|image = Panicled ticktrefoil2.jpg
|image_caption =
|status = G5
|status_system = TNC
|status_ref = {{r|NatureServe}}
|genus = Desmodium
|species = paniculatum
|authority = (L.) DC.{{r|IPNI:491980-1}}
|synonyms =
{{Collapsible list |title=Homotypic synonyms |{{Species list
|Hedysarum paniculatum |L.
|Meibomia paniculata |(L.) Kuntze
|Pleurolobus paniculatus |(L.) MacMill.
}}}}
{{Collapsible list |title=Heterotypic synonyms |{{Species list
|Desmodium dichromum |Shinners
|Desmodium paniculatum var. angustifolium |Torr. & A.Gray
|Desmodium paniculatum var. epetiolatum |B.G.Schub.
|Desmodium paniculatum var. pubens |Torr. & A.Gray
|Desmodium paniculatum var. typicum |B.G.Schub.
|Desmodium pubens |(Torr. & A.Gray) M.J.Young
|Hedysarum paniculatum var. obtusum |Desv.
|Meibomia chapmanii |(Britton) Small
|Meibomia paniculata var. angustifolia |(Torr. & A.Gray) Vail
|Meibomia paniculata var. chapmanii |Britton
|Meibomia paniculata var. obtusa |(Desv.) Schindl.
|Meibomia paniculata var. pubens |(Torr. & A.Gray) Vail
|Meibomia pubens |(Torr. & A.Gray) Rydb.
}}}}
|synonyms_ref = {{r|POWO:491980-1}}
}}
Desmodium paniculatum, the panicled-leaf ticktrefoil, narrow-leaf tick-trefoil or panicled tickclover, is a perennial herb in the pea family, Fabaceae. Belonging to a nearly cosmopolitan genus, the panicled-leaf ticktrefoil is a common native to Eastern North America, ranging from Quebec to Florida and as far West as Texas, Nebraska, and Ontario.{{cite web|title=Desmodium paniculatum (L.) DC|url=http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=DEPA6|publisher=USDA|access-date=7 July 2015}}{{cite web|title=Desmodium paniculatum|url=http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=DEPA6|publisher=Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center|access-date=7 July 2015}}{{Cite journal|last=Isely|first=Duane|date=January 1951|title=Desmodium: Section Podocarpium Benth.|journal=Brittonia|volume=7|issue=3|pages=185–224|doi=10.2307/2804705|jstor=2804705|s2cid=41450344}} The sticky loment can be found in disturbed areas that receive plenty of light, such as roadsides, parks, and abandoned fields.
Description
Desmodium paniculatum grows to 3 feet tall in an erect and spreading habit with alternate, pinnately-trifoliolate leaves. The leaflets are lanceolate to oblong and are usually 2 to 10 times as long as wide.{{Cite journal|last=Woods|first=Michael|date=March 2008|title=The Genera Desmodium and Hylodesmum (Fabaceae) in Alabama|journal=Castanea|volume=73|pages=46–69|doi=10.2179/07-9.1|s2cid=86491643}} The pedicels are around 1 cm. The flowers of the paniculate inflorescence are light pinkish to lavender and appear June through September. The sticky loments that many people find attached to their shoes and pants are arranged in a row of 2-6 superiorly sinuate and inferiorly triangular segments and appear August–October.{{cite book|last1=Weakley|first1=Alan S.|title=Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States|date=Nov 2012|publisher=The University of North Carolina Herbarium|location=Chapel Hill, NC, USA|page=862|url=http://www.herbarium.unc.edu/FloraArchives/WeakleyFlora_2012-Nov.pdf|access-date=5 Oct 2014|archive-date=26 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220126024424/http://herbarium.unc.edu/FloraArchives/WeakleyFlora_2012-Nov.pdf|url-status=dead}}
Taxonomy
Desmodium paniculatum was first described as Hedysarum paniculatum by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1753.{{r|IPNI:497965-1}}{{sfnp|Linnaeus|1753|loc=[https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/13830#page/1/mode/1up vol. 2], [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/358770#page/191/mode/1up p. 749]}} In 1825, the Swiss botanist Augustin de Candolle placed Hedysarum paniculatum {{small|L.}} in genus Desmodium,{{r|IPNI:491980-1}} and so Hedysarum paniculatum is a basionym for Desmodium paniculatum {{small|(L.) DC.}}{{r|POWO:491980-1}}
Desmodium paniculatum is a member of the Desmodium paniculatum complex, a group of closely related taxa that includes Desmodium paniculatum sensu stricto, Desmodium glabellum, Desmodium perplexum, and Desmodium fernaldii.{{sfnp|Thomas|2020|pages=29–30}} Alternatively, some botanists lump the taxa into a single polymorphic species, Desmodium paniculatum sensu lato,{{r|Ohashi 2013|JIN et al. 2021}} in which case the taxa become synonyms or varieties of Desmodium paniculatum.
Uses
While this species hasn't been tested for medically or commercially beneficial compounds like other species of Desmodium, studies have shown the value of this species, as well as other legumes, as a native forage for pasture use.{{Cite journal|last1=Posler|first1=G.|last2=Lenssen|first2=A.|last3=Fine|first3=G.|date=1993|title=Forage Yield, Quality, Compatibility, and Persistence of Warm-Season Grass-Legume Mixtures|journal=Agronomy Journal|volume=85|issue=3|pages=554–560|doi=10.2134/agronj1993.00021962008500030007x|s2cid=85092737 }} While not as easily digestable and protein-rich as some non-native legumes and grasses, the panicled-leaf ticktrefoil can be a good source of protein-based fodder for livestock during the warmer months of the year.{{Cite journal|last1=Mcgraw|first1=Robert|last2=Shockley|first2=Floyd|date=2004|others=Thompson, John; Roberts, Craig|title=Evaluation of Native Legume Species for Forage Yield, Quality, and Seed Production|journal=Native Plants Journal|volume=5|issue=2|pages=152–159|doi=10.2979/NPJ.2004.5.2.152|s2cid=85959047|doi-access=free}}
References
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Bibliography
- {{cite book |last=Linnaeus |first=Carl |author-link=Carl Linnaeus |title=Species Plantarum: exhibentes plantas rite cognitas, ad genera relatas, cum differentiis specificis, nominibus trivialibus, synonymis selectis, locis natalibus, secundum systema sexuale digestas |year=1753 |publisher=Impensis Laurentii Salvii |location=Stockholm |edition=1st |url=http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/669#/summary |access-date=3 August 2023}}
- {{cite journal |last1=Thomas |first1=Justin R. |title=Desmodium glabellum and D. perplexum (Fabaceae): a morphological reevaluation |journal=Missouriensis |date=2020 |volume=38 |pages=29–50 |url=https://monativeplants.org/wp-content/uploads/missouriensis/missouriensis-38/MONPS_38_29-50.pdf |access-date=30 January 2024 |publisher=Missouri Native Plant Society}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q5264642}}
Category:Plants described in 1753