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Desmodium paniculatum - (L.) DC.

Common Name Panicled tick trefoil
Family Fabaceae
USDA hardiness 4-10
Known Hazards None Known
Habitats Moist to dry (chiefly oak) forests and savannas, clearings, shores, ravines; prairies, sandy hillsides and banks. Forest edges, forests, woodlands.
Range Native to eastern and southern North America
Edibility Rating    (0 of 5)
Other Uses    (3 of 5)
Weed Potential Yes
Medicinal Rating    (0 of 5)
Care (info)
Fully Hardy Well drained soil Moist Soil Semi-shade Full sun
Desmodium paniculatum Panicled tick trefoil


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Desmodium paniculatum Panicled tick trefoil
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Summary

A nitrogen fixing perennial herb. As a carbon farming plant it can be used for nitrogen, as an understory legume and for fodder (bank, pasture).


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of flower
Desmodium paniculatum is an evergreen Perennial growing to 1 m (3ft 3in) by 0.2 m (0ft 8in) at a fast rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5.
It can fix Nitrogen.
It is noted for attracting wildlife.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils and can grow in very acid soils.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Desmodium dichromum Shinners. Desmodium paniculatum var. angustifolium Torr. & A. Gray. Desmodium paniculatum var. paniculatum. Desmodium paniculatum var. pubens Torr. & A. Gray. Hedysarum paniculatum L. Meibomia chapmanii (Britton) Small. Meibomia dillenii (Darl.) Kuntze. Meibomia paniculata (L.) Kuntze. Meibomia pubens (Torr. & A. Gray) Rydb.

Plant 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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Other Uses

Fodder

Carbon Farming Solutions - Agroforestry Services: nitrogen, understory legume. Fodder: bank, pasture (Agroforestry is a land use management system in which trees or shrubs are grown around or among crops or pastureland). Attracts bees and attracts birds.

Special Uses

Carbon Farming

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Agroforestry Services: Nitrogen  Agroforestry Services: Understory legume  Fodder: Bank  Fodder: Pasture  Management: Fodder  Wild Crop

Climate: cold to warm temperate. Humidity: semi-arid to humid. Prefers partial sun, mesic to dry-mesic conditions, and sandy or rocky soil. Light preferences: part-sun, part-shade. Low to medium water usage with a dry to moist soil. Soil type: acid and neutral and an average to poor loam, clay, or sand. Carbon Farming Solutions - Cultivation: wild. Management: fodder (Describes the non-destructive management systems that are used in cultivation) [1-1].

Carbon Farming

  • 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.
  • Fodder: Pasture  Enclosed tracts of farmland mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs (non-grass herbaceous plants).
  • Management: Fodder  Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.
  • Wild Crop  Some wild plants have strong historical or contemporary use. Although they are not cultivated crops, they may be wild-managed.

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

Fahrenheit:

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The PFAF Bookshop

Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees,Edible Shrubs, Woodland Gardening, and Temperate Food Forest Plants. Our new book is Food Forest Plants For Hotter Conditions (Tropical and Sub-Tropical).

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Plant Propagation

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

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Panicledleaf ticktrefoil, Narrow-leaf tick-trefoil, Panicled tickclover

Native Range

NORTHERN AMERICA: Canada (Ontario (south)), United States (Connecticut, Indiana, Maine (south), Massachusetts, Michigan (south), New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Iowa, Kansas (east), Missouri, Nebraska (southeast), Illinois, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Texas)

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.

Other species in this genus are weedy. No information has been found for this one.

Conservation Status

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

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Desmodium canadenseShowy tick-trefoilPerennial0.9 3-6 FLMHSNDM003
Desmodium caudatum Shrub1.5 -  LMHNM011
Desmodium cinereumRensoni. TickcloverPerennial2.0 9-11 FLMHNMWe004
Desmodium elegans Shrub1.5 5-9  LMHNM022
Desmodium glutinosumPointed-leaved TicktrefoilPerennial0.9 3-9 FLMSNM003
Desmodium intortumPega-pega. BeggarlicePerennial1.5 10-12 FLMHFSNMWe003
Desmodium styracifoliumGuang Jing Qian Cao, Coin-leaf desmodiumPerennial0.8 0-0  LMHNM02 
Desmodium triflorumThree-flower beggarweed, Three-flower tick-trefoilAnnual/Perennial0.2 10-12 FLMHFSNM022
Desmodium uncinatumSilverleaf desmodium. Spanish tick-cloverPerennial2.0 10-12 FLMHSNDMWe003

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

(L.) DC.

Botanical References

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