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Forest Starr & Kim Starr starrenvironmental.com |
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Forest Starr & Kim Starr starrenvironmental.com |
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Summary
A long-lived prostrate, scrambling vine with stems up to 1.5 m long with a strong taproot. Occasionally a semi-upright shrubby plant growing 0.5m tall.
Physical Characteristics

Desmodium intortum is an evergreen Perennial growing to 1.5 m (5ft) by 0.2 m (0ft 8in) 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 can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist or wet soil.
UK Hardiness Map
US Hardiness Map
Synonyms
Desmodium galapagense B.L. Rob. Desmodium hjalmarsonii (Schindl.) Standl. Desmodium trigonum DC. Desmodium sinclairii Benth. Desmodium trigonum DC. Hedysarum intortum Mill. Hedysarum trigonum Sw. Meibomia intorta (Mill.) S.F.Blake. Meibomia trigona F.W.Gandara. Meibomia hjalmarsonii Schindl.
Habitats
Edible Uses
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
Long-term and irrigated pastures for hay and silage - provides good standover feed during autumn and winter in frost-free areas. Very palatable and tends to be heavily grazed. Cut-and-carry systems, and as ground cover. DM yields range from 12 to 19 t/ha/year, which is higher than silverleaf desmodium (7-9 t DM/ha/year). Better yields are obtained with longer cutting intervals of 30-85 days [418]. A good groundcover covering the soil in 4 months. It has been used as ground cover on coffee plantations. Carbon Farming Solutions - Agroforestry Services: nitrogen, understory legume. Fodder: pasture (Agroforestry is a land use management system in which trees or shrubs are grown around or among crops or pastureland).
Special Uses
Carbon Farming
References More on Other Uses
Cultivation details
Agroforestry Services: Contour hedgerow Agroforestry Services: Nitrogen Agroforestry Services: Understory legume Fodder: Pasture Management: Fodder Minor Global Crop
Climate: tropical, tropical highlands. Humidity: semi-arid to humid. Desmodium intortum will grow on a wider range of soils than will D. uncinatum , from sands, light loams to medium clays, but prefers moderate fertility and pH above 5.0. Not tolerant of salinity or high Al and Mn. Requires >900mm rainfall with a moderate dry season of less than 6 months, but will grow under much wetter conditions (>3,000 mm). Tolerance to waterlogging or flooding is better than D. uncinatum . Withstands hot weather better than D. uncinatum. Frost-susceptible. Optimum growth at 30/25°C ±3°C. Good shade tolerance. Carbon Farming Solutions - Cultivation: minor global crop. Management: fodder (Describes the non-destructive management systems that are used in cultivation) [1-1].
Carbon Farming
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Agroforestry Services: Contour hedgerow
Alley cropping systems on the contour of slopes.
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Agroforestry Services: Nitrogen
Plants that contribute to nitrogen fixation include the legume family – Fabaceae.
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Agroforestry Services: Understory legume
Legume vegetation, especially the trees and shrubs growing between the forest canopy and the forest floor.
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Fodder: Pasture
Enclosed tracts of farmland mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs (non-grass herbaceous plants).
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Management: Fodder
Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.
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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
Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:
Fahrenheit:
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, and Woodland Gardening. Our new book to be released soon is Edible Shrubs.
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Propagation
Seed germinates quickly (3-4 days) without scarification.
Other Names
If available other names are mentioned here
Greenleaf desmodium, Beggarlice, Greenleaf tick trefoil, Tickclover; Grünes desmodium (German); Pega pega, Amor seco, Desmodio verde (Spanish); Desmodie (French); Karikuy-ritkuk (Philippines); Thua kleen leap (Thailand).
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
Native to:Mesoamerica: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama. Caribbean: Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico. South America: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, and in a restricted area of Brazil between 18 and 25°S. Now naturalised in small areas of higher altitude tropics and the humid subtropics [415].
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.
Can be invasive in all it's growing areas. Regarded as an environmental weed in Queensland and northern New South Wales, Australia. It is mainly of concern in riparian vegetation, due to its shade tolerance and its ability to climb over other plants. This species was recently ranked among the 200 most invasive plants in south-eastern Queensland.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : Status: Least Concern
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.
Expert comment
Author
(Mill.) Urb.
Botanical References
Links / References
For a list of references used on this page please go here
Readers comment
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Subject : Desmodium intortum
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