Desmodium paniculatum
Family: Fabaceae
Plant Description: Upright perennial with 3-foliate leaves, teh leaflets 2-8 cm long. Stipules 3-6 mm long. Flowers in racemose panicles. Petals 4-7 mm long, rose-lavender to purple.
Plant Trivia:
Field Identification: Typically, pea-like in both plant and leaf structure. Its legacy characteristic is its seeds: flat oval about 3 mm by 5 mm covered with tiny Velcro-like hairs. These stick on everything. If you don’t physically remove them from your clothing, they will be found on every item of clothing in your wash load.
Occurrence: Occasional in sandy oak woods along the coast, also along streams and ravines usually in partial shade.
Bloom Period: May-October
Plant Use:
Key to species of Desmodium:
- Plant erect, stipe 3-4 mm long…………………………………………..D. paniculatum
Plant prostrate to erect, stipe 1.5-2 mm long………………………..D. incanum
stxflora 