Desmodium glabellum

Last updated

Desmodium glabellum
Desmodium glabellum BB-1913.png
Illustration published in 1913
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Desmodium
Species:
D. glabellum
Binomial name
Desmodium glabellum
Synonyms [3]
Homotypic synonyms
    • Hedysarum glabellumMichx.
Heterotypic synonyms
    • Desmodium dilleniiDarl.
    • Desmodium paniculatum var. dillenii(Darl.) Isely
    • Meibomia dillenii (Darl.)Kuntze
    • Meibomia glabellaKuntze
    • Pleurolobus dillenii(Darl.) MacMill.

Desmodium glabellum is a species of flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is native to the eastern and central United States. It is commonly called Dillenius' tick-trefoil in honor of Johann Dillenius, a British botanist of German birth. It is also known as the tall tick-trefoil.

Contents

Description

Desmodium glabellum is a herbaceous perennial plant. It grows to 5 feet tall with alternate palmately trifoliate leaves. Light pink to purplish flowers appear June through September. Seeds in sticky pods arranged in a row of 2-5 segments appear August–October. This species is very similar to Desmodium perplexum from which it was recently split. [4]

Taxonomy

Desmodium glabellum was first described as Hedysarum glabellum by the French botanist André Michaux in 1803. [5] The type specimen was collected in a grassland in "Lower Carolina". [6] Michaux described the stem of the species as nearly glabrous, [7] hence the specific name glabellum and the corresponding common name smooth tick-trefoil (not to be confused with Desmodium laevigatum , which also goes by that common name). In 1825, the Swiss botanist Augustin de Candolle placed Hedysarum glabellumMichx. in genus Desmodium, [2] and so Hedysarum glabellum is a basionym for Desmodium glabellum(Michx.) DC. [3]

Type illustration of Desmodium dillenii designated by Darlington in 1837, originally published by Dillenius in 1732, identified as Desmodium glabellum in 2022 Desmodium dillenii Dillenius 1732.png
Type illustration of Desmodium dillenii designated by Darlington in 1837, originally published by Dillenius in 1732, identified as Desmodium glabellum in 2022

The American physician, botanist, and politician William Darlington described Desmodium dillenii in 1837. [8] [9] Darlington's description was based upon an illustration of Hedysarum trifoliatum published by the German-born British botanist Johann Jacob Dillenius in 1732. [10] [11] Recognizing Dillenius' contribution, Darlington referred to Desmodium dillenii as Dillenius's Desmodium. In 1950, the American botanist Bernice Schubert rejected Desmodium dilleniiDarl. as a nomen confusum (a term having no standing in the International Code of Nomenclature of 2018), [12] which means "confusing name". In an attempt to resolve the confusion, Schubert split the taxon into two distinct taxa, a newly described Desmodium perplexum , [13] and the previously described Desmodium glabellum. However, Schubert did not identify the plant in Dillenius' illustration. The matter remained unresolved until 2020 when the morphologies of the taxa in question were sufficiently clarified. [14] Subsequently the plant in Dillenius' illustration was identified as Desmodium glabellum, [15] and hence the name Desmodium dilleniiDarl. is a synonym for Desmodium glabellum(Michx.) DC. [16] The common name Dillenius' tick-trefoil is often used to refer to Desmodium glabellum. [1] [17] [18] [19]

Desmodium glabellum is a member of the Desmodium paniculatum complex, a group of closely related taxa that also includes Desmodium paniculatum sensu stricto , Desmodium perplexum, Desmodium fernaldii , and the synonym Desmodium dillenii. [20] Alternatively, some botanists lump these taxa into a single polymorphic species, Desmodium paniculatum sensu lato , [21] [22] in which case Desmodium glabellum becomes a synonym of Desmodium paniculatum.

Distribution and habitat

Desmodium glabellum is native to the eastern and central United States. [23] It grows in fields, woodland borders, and disturbed areas. [24]

Related Research Articles

<i>Trillium erectum</i> Species of flowering plant

Trillium erectum, the red trillium, also known as wake robin, purple trillium, bethroot, or stinking benjamin, is a species of flowering plant in the family Melanthiaceae. The plant takes its common name "wake robin" by analogy with the European robin, which has a red breast heralding spring. Likewise Trillium erectum is a spring ephemeral plant whose life-cycle is synchronized with that of the forests in which it lives. It is native to the eastern United States and eastern Canada from northern Georgia to Quebec and New Brunswick.

<i>Heracleum sphondylium</i> Species of flowering plant in the celery family Apiaceae

Heracleum sphondylium, commonly known as hogweed or common hogweed, is a herbaceous perennial plant in the carrot family Apiaceae, which includes fennel, cow parsley, ground elder and giant hogweed. It is native to most of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa, but is introduced in North America and elsewhere. Other common names include cow parsnip or eltrot. The flowers provide a great deal of nectar for pollinators.

<i>Desmodium</i> Genus of legumes

Desmodium is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae, sometimes called tick-trefoil, tick clover, hitch hikers or beggar lice. There are dozens of species and the delimitation of the genus has shifted much over time. Species are distributed widely – from Quebec to northern Argentina in the Americas, across northern and southern tropical Africa, in the southern Arabian Peninsula, in Myanmar and Thailand, New Guinea, and northern and eastern Australia.

<i>Tiarella</i> Genus of flowering plants in the family Saxifragaceae

Tiarella, the foamflowers, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Saxifragaceae. The generic name Tiarella means "little turban", which suggests the shape of the seed capsules. Worldwide there are seven species, one each in eastern Asia and western North America, plus five species in eastern North America. As of October 2022, the taxonomy of Tiarella in eastern North America is in flux.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loment</span>

A loment is a type of dehiscent legume fruit that breaks apart at constrictions occurring between segments, so that each segment contains only one seed. It is a type of schizocarp.

<i>Cardamine concatenata</i> Species of flowering plant in the cabbage family Brassicaceae

Cardamine concatenata, the cutleaved toothwort, crow's toes, pepper root or purple-flowered toothwort, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is a perennial woodland wildflower native to eastern North America.

<i>Cardamine diphylla</i> Species of flowering plant in the cabbage family Brassicaceae

Cardamine diphylla is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is a spring flowering woodland plant that is native to eastern North America.

<i>Desmodium paniculatum</i> Species of legume

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. The sticky loment can be found in disturbed areas that receive plenty of light, such as roadsides, parks, and abandoned fields.

<i>Hylodesmum</i> Genus of legumes

Hylodesmum is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, sometimes called ticktrefoils or tick-trefoils. It is sometimes treated as part of Desmodium. It includes 16 species native to eastern North America, sub-Saharan Africa, Yemen, south, southeast, and eastern Asia, Malesia, and New Guinea.

<i>Leucospora</i> Genus of flowering plants

Leucospora multifida, known variously as Obi-Wan conobea, narrow-leaved paleseed, cliff conobea, cut-leaved conobea, or much-cleft conobea, is an annual herb in the plantain family, Plantaginaceae, and the only species in the North American genus Leucospora.

<i>Symphyotrichum shortii</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to North America

Symphyotrichum shortii, commonly called Short's aster, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to North America, where it is primarily found in interior areas east of the Mississippi River. Its natural habitat is in thin rocky soils of woodlands and thickets often around limestone bluffs. It is common throughout much of its range, although it is generally restricted to intact natural communities.

<i>Hypericum frondosum</i> Species of flowering plant in the St Johns wort family Hypericaceae

Hypericum frondosum, the cedarglade St. Johnswort or golden St. John's wort, is a species of flowering plant in the St. John's wort family, Hypericaceae. It is native to the central and southeastern United States in dry, rocky habitats.

<i>Hylodesmum glutinosum</i> Species of legume

Hylodesmum glutinosum is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. Common names include large tick-trefoil, clustered-leaved tick-trefoil, large-flowered tick-clover, pointed tick-trefoil, beggar's lice and pointed-leaved tick-trefoil. It occurs in eastern Canada, the central and eastern United States, and northeastern Mexico.

<i>Pyrularia</i> Genus of plants

Pyrularia is a small genus of shrubs or small trees in the sandalwood family (Santalaceae) which contains two species, Pyrularia pubera and Pyrularia edulis. P. pubera grows in the eastern United States and P. edulis grows in Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, and Nepal. Both species are parasitic plants, specifically hemiparasites, which while still photosynthetic, will also parasitize the roots of other plants around them.

Cardamine dissecta is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family Brassicaceae.

Desmodium perplexum is a species of flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is native to eastern North America. The specific name perplexum refers to the confusion surrounding this species since its initial description in 1950.

Desmodium fernaldii is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States.

References

  1. 1 2 "Desmodium glabellum". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Desmodium glabellum(Michx.) DC.". International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries; Australian National Botanic Gardens . Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  3. 1 2 "Desmodium glabellum(Michx.) DC.". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  4. Hilty, John. "Perplexing Tick Trefoil". Wildflowers of Illinois. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  5. "Hedysarum glabellumMichx.". International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries; Australian National Botanic Gardens . Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  6. Uttal, Leonard J. (January 1984). "The type localities of the Flora Boreali-Americana of André Michaux". Rhodora. 86 (845): 46. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  7. Michaux (1803), p. 73.
  8. "Desmodium dilleniiDarl.". International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries; Australian National Botanic Gardens . Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  9. Darlington (1837), pp. 414415.
  10. "Hedysarum trifoliatumDill.". International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries; Australian National Botanic Gardens . Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  11. Dillenius (1732), tab. 144.
  12. Schubert (1950), pp. 154155.
  13. "Desmodium perplexumB.G.Schub.". International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries; Australian National Botanic Gardens . Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  14. Thomas (2020).
  15. Weakley et al. (2022), "The identity of Desmodium dilleniiDarl." p. 401.
  16. "Desmodium dilleniiDarl.". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  17. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Desmodium glabellum". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  18. "Desmodium glabellum(Michx.) DC.". Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  19. "Desmodium glabellum(Michx.) DC.". Global Biodiversity Information Facility . Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  20. Thomas (2020), pp. 29–30.
  21. Ohashi, Hiroyoshi (June 2013). "New combinations in North American Desmodium (Leguminosae: Tribe Desmodieae)". The Journal of Japanese Botany. 88 (3): 166–175. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  22. JIN, Dong-Pil; KIM, Jung-Hyun; SIM, Sunhee; SUH, Hwa-Jung; KIM, Jin-Seok (2021). "New record of an alien plant, Desmodium paniculatum (Fabaceae), in Korea based on a morphological examination and DNA barcoding". Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy. 51 (2): 133–140. doi: 10.11110/kjpt.2021.51.2.133 .
  23. "Desmodium glabellum". State-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  24. Weakley, Alan S.; Southeastern Flora Team (2024). "Desmodium glabellum". Flora of the southeastern United States. University of North Carolina Herbarium, North Carolina Botanical Garden. Retrieved 31 January 2024.

Bibliography