Desmodium canadense (L.) DC.

Showy tick trefoil

About plant names...

The “tick” in showy tick trefoil refers to this plant’s seed pods, which have an uncanny knack for leaping onto clothing and staying there. These plants are North American natives.

Identification: Plants are up to 3' (91 cm) tall, usually erect, sometimes canted at angles or lying along the ground. Stems are covered with fine white hairs, and have long vertical striations. Leaves are roughly oval in shape, and 1½-3½" (3.8-8.9 cm) long × ½-1¾" (1.3-4.6 cm) in size. They often occur in groups of three. Flowerheads are panicles up to 8" (20 cm) long, with pink flowers each about ½-¾" (1.3-1.9 cm) long. Each flower consists of an upward-pointing petal and a downward-pointing pouch-shaped petal. Seedpods loosely resemble peas, and are up to 2½" (6.3 cm) long, consisting of several light green segments, each shaped like the letter ‘D’. The pods have velcro-like hairs that adhere to passing animals and amateur botanists.

Online References:

Desmodium canadense on islandcreekes.fcps.edu

Desmodium canadense at Illinois Wildflowers

Desmodium canadense on Missouriplants.com

Desmodium canadense on

Desmodium canadense on Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses

Desmodium canadense at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Desmodium canadense on the Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site

Desmodium canadense on DiversityOfLife.org

8/30/2010 · Old RR bed near Wilkins Farm, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 7 × 11" (18 × 27 cm)

8/11/2012 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 6 × 4" (14 × 10 cm)

Hitchhiking seedpods. · 8/30/2010 · Old RR bed near Wilkins Farm, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 4½ × 3" (11 × 8.2 cm)

8/14/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, East Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 14 × 9" (35 × 23 cm)

7/29/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Nashoba Hospital, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 4½ × 7" (11 × 17 cm)

8/14/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, East Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 7 × 5" (17 × 13 cm)

Desmodium canadense description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.

8/11/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 4½ × 4½" (11 × 12 cm)

9/4/2017 · Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 5 × 3" (12 × 8.5 cm)

8/13/2010 · Old RR bed near Wilkins Farm, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 9 × 13" (21 × 31 cm)

7/29/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Nashoba Hospital, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 7 × 4½" (17 × 11 cm)

Leaf damage caused by locust digitate leaf miner (Parectopa robiniella) · 9/24/2012 · Squannacook River Wildlife Area, Townsend, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 4½ × 4" (11 × 10 cm)

8/11/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 5 × 7" (13 × 18 cm)

7/12/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 15 cm)

7/29/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Nashoba Hospital, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 7 × 6" (18 × 14 cm)

7/29/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Nashoba Hospital, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 5 × 3½" (13 × 9.2 cm)

9/4/2017 · Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 8 × 5" (20 × 13 cm)

Range:

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