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Desmodium cinereum - (Kunth) DC.

Common Name Rensoni. Tickclover
Family Fabaceae
USDA hardiness 9-11
Known Hazards None Known
Habitats A tropical plant. Adapted to the wet tropics with more than 1500 mm average annual rainfall and a short, or no dry season. Lowland species found at altitudes between 0-1000 m [418].
Range Native to: Western Mexico and Central America from Salvador to Nicaragua. Also found in south and southeast Asia and the Philippines.
Edibility Rating    (0 of 5)
Other Uses    (4 of 5)
Weed Potential Yes
Medicinal Rating    (0 of 5)
Care (info)
Tender Moist Soil Wet Soil Full sun
Desmodium cinereum Rensoni. Tickclover


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Desmodium cinereum Rensoni. Tickclover
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Summary

A short lived, fast-growing perennial growing to 2m. Used as nitrogen-rich mulch in alley-cropping systems and in contour hedgerows. It is a good carbon farming plant.


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of flower
Desmodium cinereum is an evergreen Perennial growing to 2 m (6ft) by 2 m (6ft) at a fast rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10.
It can fix Nitrogen.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils and can grow in very acid soils.
It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist or wet soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Desmodium luteocanescens M.E.Jones. Hedysarum cinereum Kunth. Hedysarum sericeum Mill. Meibomia cinerea (Kunth) Standl.

Habitats

Edible Uses

None Known

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.


None Known

References   More on Medicinal Uses

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FOOD FOREST PLANTS

Other Uses

Fodder  Hedge  Mulch  Soil conditioner  Straw

Contour hedgerows and alley cropping (used as nitrogen-rich mulch in alley-cropping systems) [415]. Foliage for stock feed. Leaf meal of D. cinereum gave similar benefits to Leucaena leucocephala leaf meal when fed as a protein supplement to poultryand pigs, and also gave incremental improvements in LWG of sheep when fed as hay. Nutrient analysis results for D. cinereum leaf were similar to those for Medicago sativa. Regular cutting stimulates multiple stems and increases yields of leaf. Nitrogen-rich mulch. Carbon Farming Solutions - Agroforestry Services: nitrogen, contour hedgerow, understory legume (Agroforestry is a land use management system in which trees or shrubs are grown around or among crops or pastureland). Fodder: bank [1-1].

Special Uses

Carbon Farming  Food Forest  Hedge  Nitrogen Fixer

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Agroforestry Services: Contour hedgerow  Agroforestry Services: Nitrogen  Agroforestry Services: Understory legume  Fodder: Bank  Management: Fodder  Minor Global Crop

Climate: tropical highlands. Humidity: humid. Adapted to the wet tropics with more than 1500 mm average annual rainfall and a short, or no dry season. Lowland species found at altitudes between 0-1000m. Requires a mean annual temperature in excess of 20°C and has no frost tolerance. Found on moderately fertile, neutral or slightly acid soils. Becomes chlorotic in alkaline soil [415] . Fast growing but short lived. Regular cutting stimulates multiple stems and increases yields of leaf. If seed production is required, defoliation must be timed to avoid destroying the developing seed crop. Reported to be a high quality feed supplement for ruminants in southeast Asia [415]. Carbon Farming Solutions - Cultivation: minor global crop. Management: fodder (Describes the non-destructive management systems that are used in cultivation) [1-1].

Carbon Farming

  • Agroforestry Services: Contour hedgerow  Alley cropping systems on the contour of slopes.
  • Agroforestry Services: Nitrogen  Plants that contribute to nitrogen fixation include the legume family – Fabaceae.
  • Agroforestry Services: Understory legume  Legume vegetation, especially the trees and shrubs growing between the forest canopy and the forest floor.
  • Fodder: Bank  Fodder banks are plantings of high-quality fodder species. Their goal is to maintain healthy productive animals. They can be utilized all year, but are designed to bridge the forage scarcity of annual dry seasons. Fodder bank plants are usually trees or shrubs, and often legumes. The relatively deep roots of these woody perennials allow them to reach soil nutrients and moisture not available to grasses and herbaceous plants.
  • Management: Fodder  Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.
  • Minor Global Crop  These crops are already grown or traded around the world, but on a smaller scale than the global perennial staple and industrial crops, The annual value of a minor global crop is under $1 billion US. Examples include shea, carob, Brazil nuts and fibers such as ramie and sisal.

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

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Propagation

Seed germinates quickly (3-4 days) without scarification.

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Rensonii or Rensoni (Southeast Asia).

Native Plant Search

Search over 900 plants ideal for food forests and permaculture gardens. Filter to search native plants to your area. The plants selected are the plants in our book 'Plants For Your Food Forest: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests and Permaculture Gardens, as well as plants chosen for our forthcoming related books for Tropical/Hot Wet Climates and Mediterranean/Hot Dry Climates. Native Plant Search

Found In

Countries where the plant has been found are listed here if the information is available

Asia, Indonesia (South and southeast Asia and the Philippines), Mexico, South America (Western Mexico and Central America from Salvador to Nicaragua).

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

Potential weed risk in the Pacific islands.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : This taxon has not yet been assessed

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Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

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Author

(Kunth) DC.

Botanical References

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here
A special thanks to Ken Fern for some of the information used on this page.

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