Desmodium obtusum

Classification	Dicots
Family	Fabaceae
Family (Traditional)	Fabaceae
Genus	Desmodium
Species:	Desmodium obtusum (Muhl. ex Willd.) DC.
Common Name	Stiff Ticktrefoil
Growth Habit	forb
Plant Notes	**
Characteristics	Armaments: No; Milky Sap: No; Photosynthetic: Yes; Stipules: Yes; Woody Herbaceous: Herbaceous; Natural Area Presence: BE; Natural Area Presence: NRG; Natural Area Presence: SGSNA; Duration: Perennial; General Ecology: Terrestrial; Growth Habit: forb; Region of Origin: North America; Reproductive Phenology: April; Reproductive Phenology: May; Reproductive Phenology: June; Leaf Arrangement: alternate; Leaf Complexity: compound; Leaf Dissection: 1; Leaf Fragrance: No; Leaf Persistance: Deciduous; Leaf Petiole Type: petiolate; Leaf Type: broadleaf; Leaf Venation: ternate; Leaflet Margins: entire; Leaflet Number: 3; Base Flower Color: Purple; Carpel Number/Pistil: 1; Fruit Complexity: Simple; Fruit Dehiscence: No; Fruit Type: Schizocarp; Fruit Wet/Dry: Dry; Hypanthium Present: Yes; Ovary Position: Superior; Overall Flower Symmetry: Zygomorphic; Ovules per Carpel: 1; Ovules per Carpel: 2; Ovules per Carpel: 3; Ovules per Carpel: 4; Perianth Present: Yes; Petal Fusion: Yes; Petal Number: 5; Pistil Complexity: Simple; Pistil Number: 1; Placentation Type: Parietal; Sepal Number: 5; Sexuality: monoclinous; Sporangium Arrangement: N/A; Stamen Number: 10
C value	6
Status	Native; TN[SNR] KY[SNR] (State Rank); G4G5 (Global Rank)
Specimen(s)	View and Download Specimen Details »

** Not applicable or data not available.

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Species Distribution Map

This species has been reported in the counties highlighted in the interactive distribution map below. Click on a county to display the its name. Click the question mark icon () to view additional information about the ecoregions shown. In the map legend, there are links to toggle the visibility of the ecoregions and/or their labels. In addition, clicking on an ecoregion name will highlight that region on the map.

State Boundaries
Counties
Counties - Species Present

Ecoregions

Southeastern Plains
- Blackland Prarie
Blue Ridge Mountains
Ridge and Valley
Cumberland Plateau
Cumberland Mountains
Allegheny Plateau

Interior Plateau
- Bluegrass Region
- Nashville Basin
- Pennyroyal Karst Plain
- Western Highland Rim
- Eastern Highland Rim

Interior River Valleys and Hills
- Shawnee / Caseyville Hills
Mississippi Alluvial Plain
Mississippi Valley Loess Plains
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Synonyms

No synonyms exist for this species.

Specimens and Distribution

This species has been reported in the following counties by the herbaria listed. An overview of the individual specimens are provided in the table that follows. Click on the accession number to view details; click on column headers to sort.

Counties included on distribution map: Cumberland (KY), Hardin (KY), Blount (TN), Carroll (TN), Carter (TN), Chester (TN), Claiborne (TN), Cocke (TN), Cumberland (TN), Davidson (TN), Dickson (TN), Fentress (TN), Franklin (TN), Henry (TN), Humphreys (TN), Marion (TN), Montgomery (TN), Roane (TN), Rutherford (TN), Unicoi (TN), Van Buren (TN)

Herbaria represented by specimen data listed below: APSC, BOON, EKY, ETSU, TENN, UCHT

Range of years during which specimens were collected: 1982 - 2015

Accession No. (click for full details)	County	State	Coll. Date	Collector & Collection No.	Herbarium & Herbarium Name Used
TENN-V-0129004	Cumberland	Tennessee			TENN Desmodium obtusum
TENN-V-0129008	Franklin	Tennessee			TENN Desmodium obtusum
TENN-V-0129005	Davidson	Tennessee			TENN Desmodium obtusum
TENN-V-0129012	Van Buren	Tennessee			TENN Desmodium obtusum
TENN-V-0129010	Roane	Tennessee			TENN Desmodium obtusum
TENN-V-0129003	Claiborne	Tennessee			TENN Desmodium obtusum
TENN-V-0129001	Blount	Tennessee			TENN Desmodium obtusum
TENN-V-0129002	Carroll	Tennessee			TENN Desmodium obtusum
TENN-V-0129006	Dickson	Tennessee			TENN Desmodium obtusum
TENN-V-0129007	Fentress	Tennessee			TENN Desmodium obtusum
TENN-V-0129011	Rutherford	Tennessee			TENN Desmodium obtusum
TENN-V-0129009	Henry	Tennessee			TENN Desmodium obtusum
UCHT017171	Marion	Tennessee			UCHT Desmodium obtusum
16972	Carroll	Tennessee			BOON Desmodium obtusum
APSC0092237	Humphreys	Tennessee			APSC Desmodium obtusum
APSC0102344	Hardin	Kentucky			APSC Desmodium obtusum
APSC0017954	Henry	Tennessee			APSC Desmodium obtusum
APSC0017953	Montgomery	Tennessee	03 Sep 1982	Edward Chester	APSC Desmodium obtusum
ETSU030851	Cocke	Tennessee			ETSU Desmodium obtusum
UCHT043108	Chester	Tennessee			UCHT Desmodium obtusum
31234100426806	Cumberland	Kentucky	21 Sep 1997	Carrie L. Tilton 144	EKY Desmodium obtusum
N/A	Unicoi	Tennessee	20 Sep 2014	Frosty Levy	ETSU Desmodium obtusum
N/A	Carter	Tennessee	29 Aug 2015	Frosty Levy	ETSU Desmodium obtusum

View a List of All Ecological Communities

Desmodium obtusum

Related Links

Species Distribution Map

Ecoregions

Synonyms

Specimens and Distribution

Plant Photos