Difference between revisions of "Desmodium paniculatum"

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| range_map_caption = Natural range of ''Desmodium paniculatum'' from USDA NRCS [https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=DEPAP2 Plants Database].
 
| range_map_caption = Natural range of ''Desmodium paniculatum'' from USDA NRCS [https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=DEPAP2 Plants Database].
 
}}
 
}}
Common Name(s): panicledleaf ticktrefoil;<ref name="USDA">USDA, NRCS. (2016). The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 30 November 2017). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.</ref> panicled tick trefoil<ref name="Ladybird">Plant database: ''Rubus cunifolius.'' (12 December 2017).Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. URL: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=DEPA6</ref>
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Common Name(s): Panicledleaf Ticktrefoil<ref name="USDA">USDA, NRCS. (2016). The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 30 November 2017). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.</ref>  
  
 
==Taxonomic Notes==
 
==Taxonomic Notes==
Varieties: ''D. paniculatum'' var. ''paniculatum''; ''D. paniculatum'' var. ''epetiolatum''<ref name="USDA"/><ref name="Weakley 2015">Weakley A. S.(2015). Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Herbarium.</ref>
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Synonyms: ''Desmodium paniculatum'' var. ''pubens'' Torrey & A. Gray<ref name=weakley>Weakley, A.S. 2020. Flora of the Southeastern United States. Edition of 20 October 2020. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.</ref>
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Varieties: ''D. paniculatum'' (Linnaeus) A.P. de Candolle ''var. epetiolatum'' Schubert; ''D. paniculatum'' (Linnaeus) A.P. de Candolle ''var. paniculatum''; ''Meibomia paniculata'' (Linnaeus) Kuntze; ''Meibomia pubens'' (Torrey & A. Gray) Rydberg; ''Meibomia chapmanii'' (Britton) Small<ref name=weakley/>
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The genus name ''Desmodium'' derives from Greek meaning "long branch or chain."<ref name= "fact"/>
  
 
==Description==  
 
==Description==  
 
<!-- Basic life history facts such as annual/perrenial, monoecious/dioecious, root morphology, seed type, etc. -->
 
<!-- Basic life history facts such as annual/perrenial, monoecious/dioecious, root morphology, seed type, etc. -->
''Desmodium paniculatum'' is a facultative upland dioecious perennial forb/herb.<ref name="USDA"/> It uses low amounts of water, inhabits dry clay or loamy soils, and prefers partial shade.<ref name="Ladybird"/> In fact, ''D. paniculatum'' has shown to contain 24% and 9% more dry weight in 50% and 80% shade, respectively, than in full sun.<ref name="Lin et al 1999">Lin C. H., McGraw R. L., George M. F., and Garrett H.
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''Desmodium paniculatum'' is a facultative upland dioecious perennial forb/herb.<ref name="USDA"/> Reaching heights of up to 3 feet, central stem is green in color with clover-like leaflets that are oblong and proceeding only singly up the stem. Flowers are purple and grow on the stem maturing from the bottom upwards. Fruit are seed pods that are about 1/8 inch in length.<ref name= "fact"/> It uses low amounts of water, inhabits dry clay or loamy soils, and prefers intermediate levels of shade.<ref name="Ladybird">Plant database: ''Desmodium paniculatum.'' (12 December 2017).Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. URL: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=DEPA6</ref> A study showed ''D. paniculatum'' to contain 24% and 9% more dry weight in 50% and 80% shade, respectively, than in full sun.<ref name="Lin et al 1999">Lin C. H., McGraw R. L., George M. F., and Garrett H. E. (1999). Shade effects on forage crops with potential in temperate agroforestry practices.</ref>
E. (1999). Shade effects on forage crops with potential in temperate agroforestry practices.</ref>
 
  
 
==Distribution==
 
==Distribution==
''Desmodium paniculatum'' can be found from Texas to Nebraska, eastward to Florida, the Carolina's, and Pennsylvania, and northward into Michigan, New York, Maine and parts of eastern Canada.<ref name="USDA"/>
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''Desmodium paniculatum'' can be found from Texas to Nebraska, eastward to Florida, the Carolina's, and Pennsylvania, and northward into Michigan, New York, Maine and parts of eastern Canada.<ref name="USDA"/> In Alabama, ''D. paniculatum'' is the most common species of ''Desmodium'' found.<ref name="Woods 2008">Woods M. (2008). Then genera ''Desmodium'' and ''Hylodesmum'' (Fabaceae) in Alabama. Castanea 73(1):46-69.</ref> ''D. paniculatum'' var. ''epetiolatum'' is distributed from southeast Virginia to either southeast North Carolina or east South Carolina while the distribution of ''D. paniculatum'' var. ''paniculatum'' is more widespread from south Maine west to south Ontatio, Michigan, and Nebraska south to south Florida and Texas.<ref name= "Weakley 2015"/>
  
 
==Ecology==
 
==Ecology==
 
===Habitat=== <!--Natural communities, human disturbed habitats, topography, hydrology, soils, light, fire regime requirements for removal of competition, etc.-->
 
===Habitat=== <!--Natural communities, human disturbed habitats, topography, hydrology, soils, light, fire regime requirements for removal of competition, etc.-->
''D. paniculatum'' is found in pine savannas, flatwoods, bogs, fields, woodland borders, and disturbed areas.<ref name="Weakley 2015"/>
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''D. paniculatum'' var. ''epetiolatum'' is found in bogs and pine savannas and flatwoods while ''D. paniculatum'' var. ''paniculatum'' can be found in woodland borders, fields, and disturbed areas.<ref name="Weakley 2015">Weakley A. S.(2015). Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Herbarium.</ref> It prefers slightly acidic to neutral and medium to fine textured soil, and grows primarily in partial shade.<ref name= "fact"/> ''D. paniculatum'' has also been observed in marsh edges, coastal hammocks, shrubs and thickets, pine flatwoods, upland slopes of pine woods, old fields, borders of swampy wetlands, riversides and shaded banks, and limestone slopes. It grows on a variety of soils including drying sand, loamy sand, mucky clay, sandy clay, loam, alluvial, and other moist soils.<ref name= "herbarium">Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: April 2019. Collectors: Harry E. Ahles, Loran C. Anderson, W. R. Anderson, C. F. Baker, Sears Bradley, Ted Bradley, L. J. Brass, Charles T. Bryson, A. F. Clewell, George R. Cooley, V. L. Cory, R. C. Darby, Delzie Demaree, S. J. E., F. S. Earle, Richard J. Eaton, R.K. Godfrey, D. W. Hall, C. J. Hansen, Norlan C. Henderson, Joscelyn W. Hill, C. Jackson, Carleen Jones, S. B. Jones, J. M. Kane, Ed Keppner, Lisa Keppner, Herbert Kessler, Tina Kessler, R. Komarek, R. Kral, John M. Kunzer, O. Lakela, John D. Lazor, Robert L. Lazor, K. MacClendon, Travis MacClendon, Scott McCoy, Sidney McDaniel, Marc Minno, Richard S. Mitchell, C. M. Morton, Bridget C. Naczi, Matthew R. Naczi, Patrick J. Naczi, Robert F.C. Naczi, Timothy A. Naczi, Gil Nelson, G. W. Parmelee, Gwynn W. Ramsey, Peter H. Raven, Tamra Engelhorn Raven, James D. Ray, Jr., J. Roche, Gary Schultz, Cecil R Slaughter, V. Sullivan, B. C. Tharp, John W. Thieret, B. Thomas, Robert F. Thorne, Alfred Traverse, Charles S. Wallis, R. L. Wilbur, G. Wilder, and J. Wooten. States and Counties: Florida: Bay, Calhoun, Clay, Collier, Franklin, Gulf, Highland, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Nassau, Okaloosa, St Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Wakulla, and Washington. Georgia: Decatur, Fulton, Grady, Morgan, and Thomas. Alabama: Lee. Arkansas: Bradley and Conway. Illinois: Lawrence. Indiana: Hancock. Louisiana: Livingston. Massachusetts: Franklin. Michigan: Barry. Mississippi: Coahoma, Lauderdale, Quitman, and Washington. Missouri: Jefferson. New York: Westchester. North Carolina: Carteret and Jones. Oklahoma: Comanche and Sequoyah. South Carolina: York. Tennessee. Texas: Harris, Real, and Travis. Virginia: Giles.</ref> It is also considered a characteristic species for pine-oak-hickory woodlands.<ref>Clewell A. F. (2013). Prior prevalence of shortleaf pine-oak-hickory woodlands in the Tallahassee red hills. Castanea 78(4):266-276.</ref> It is listed as a facultative upland species, where it is commonly found in non-wetland habitats, but can occasionally be found in wetlands.<ref name= "USDA"/> As well, ''D. paniculatum'' is a known pioneer species that prefers disturbance from logging, fire, or other disturbances to easily colonize a site.<ref name= "fact"/>
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''D. paniculatum'' has shown regrowth in reestablished native coastal plains habitat that was disturbed by agricultural practices in South Carolina, making it a post-agricultural woodlands indicator species.<ref>Brudvig, L.A., E Grman, C.W. Habeck, and J.A. Ledvina. (2013). Strong legacy of agricultural land use on soils and understory plant communities in longleaf pine woodlands. Forest Ecology and Management 310: 944-955.</ref> Additionally, it was found to have increased occurrence and abundance in response to clearcutting and chopping in South Carolina. It has also shown positive regrowth in reestablished native forest habitat that was disturbed by these practices.<ref>Cushwa, C.T. and M.B. Jones. (1969). Wildlife Food Plants on Chopped Areas in Piedmont South Carolina. Note SE-119. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southeastern Forest Experiment Station. 4 pp.</ref> ''D. paniculatum'' was found to be an increaser in its long-term response following cessation of repeated soil disturbance.<ref name=Dixon>Dixon, C. M., K. M. Robertson, A. M. Reid and M. T. Rother. 2024. Mechanical soil disturbance in a pine savanna has multiyear effects on plant species composition. Ecosphere 15(2):e4759.</ref>
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Associated species: ''Pinus elliottii'', ''Pinus taeda'', ''Pinus palustris'', ''Pinus'' sp., ''Carya'' sp., ''Gordonia lasianthus'', ''Quercus laevis'', ''Quercus nigra'', ''Quercus'' sp., ''Sabal palmetto'', ''Serenoa'' sp., ''Micromeria'' sp., ''Ipomoea'' sp., ''Desmodium glabellum'', ''Desmodium'' sp., ''Juniperus'' sp., ''Solidago'' sp., ''Lespedeza'' sp., ''Heterotheca'' sp., ''Helianthus'' sp., ''Fagus grandifolia'', ''Liquidambar styraciflua'', ''Calycanthus'' sp., ''Lindera'' sp., ''Geranium'' sp., ''Vaccinium'' sp., ''Podophyllum'' sp., ''Polygonum'' sp., ''Eupatorium'' sp., ''Rhus copallinum'', and various grasses.<ref name= "herbarium"/>
  
 
===Phenology=== <!--Timing off flowering, fruiting, seed dispersal, and environmental triggers.  Cite PanFlora website if appropriate: http://www.gilnelson.com/PanFlora/ -->
 
===Phenology=== <!--Timing off flowering, fruiting, seed dispersal, and environmental triggers.  Cite PanFlora website if appropriate: http://www.gilnelson.com/PanFlora/ -->
''D. paniculatum'' flowers between July and November, peaking in September<ref name="Weakley 2015"/><ref>Nelson G. (11 December 2017) PanFlora. Retrieved from gilnelson.com/PanFlora/</ref> with conspicuous purple colored flowers.<ref name="Ladybird"/> Flowering can be delayed and seed production reduced when grown in high densities where competition is prevalent.<ref name="Wulff 1986c">Wulff R. D. (1986). Seed size variation in ''Desmodium paniculatum'': III. Effects on reproductive yield and competitive ability. Journal of Ecology 74(1):115-121.</ref> Seed weights vary by a factor of about 4 due to difference in several interacting variables including nutrient intake, water availability, photoperiod, temperature, and grazing impact.<ref name="Wulff 1986a">Wulff R. D. (1986). Seed size variation in ''Desmodium paniculatum'': I. Factors affecting seed size. Journal of Ecology 74(1):87-97.</ref>
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It has a late flowering season.<ref>Pavlovic, N. B., et al. (2011). "Short-term effects of burn season on flowering phenology of savanna plants." Plant Ecology 212: 611-625.</ref> ''D. paniculatum'' has been observed to flower between July and November, with peak inflorescence in September<ref name="Weakley 2015"/><ref>Nelson, G. PanFlora: Plant data for the eastern United States with emphasis on the Southeastern Coastal Plains, Florida, and the Florida Panhandle. www.gilnelson.com/PanFlora/ Accessed: 11 DEC 2017 </ref> with conspicuous purple colored flowers.<ref name="Ladybird"/> Flowering can be delayed and seed production reduced when grown in high densities where competition is prevalent.<ref name="Wulff 1986c">Wulff R. D. (1986). Seed size variation in ''Desmodium paniculatum'': III. Effects on reproductive yield and competitive ability. Journal of Ecology 74(1):115-121.</ref> Seed weights vary by a factor of about 4 due to difference in several interacting variables including nutrient intake, water availability, photoperiod, temperature, and grazing impact.<ref name="Wulff 1986a">Wulff R. D. (1986). Seed size variation in ''Desmodium paniculatum'': I. Factors affecting seed size. Journal of Ecology 74(1):87-97.</ref>
  
 
===Seed dispersal===
 
===Seed dispersal===
Fruit coats are covered with sticky trichomes that allow the seeds to stick to passing organisms and be carried off until they eventually fall off.<ref name="Wulff 1986a"/><ref name="Isely D. (1953). ''Desmodium paniculatum'' (L.) DC. and ''D. viridiflorum'' (L.) DC. The American Midland Naturalist. 49(3):920-933.</ref>
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This species is thought to be dispersed by translocation on animal fur or feathers. <ref> Kirkman, L. Katherine. Unpublished database of seed dispersal mode of plants found in Coastal Plain longleaf pine-grasslands of the Jones Ecological Research Center, Georgia.</ref> Fruit coats are covered with sticky trichomes that allow the seeds to stick to passing organisms and be carried off until they eventually fall off.<ref name="Wulff 1986a"/><ref name="Isely 1953">Isely D. (1953). ''Desmodium paniculatum'' (L.) DC. and ''D. viridiflorum'' (L.) DC. The American Midland Naturalist. 49(3):920-933.</ref>
  
 
===Seed bank and germination===
 
===Seed bank and germination===
Larger seeds of ''D. paniculatum'' have a higher rate of germination than smaller seeds.<ref name="Wulff 1986b">Wulff R. D. (1986). Seed size variation in ''Desmodium paniculatum'': II. Effects on seedling growth and physiological performance. Journal of Ecology 74(1):99-114.</ref>
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Seeds of ''D. paniculatum'' germinate above the ground (epigeal germination).<ref name="Wulff 1985">Wulff R. D. (1985). Effect of seed size on heteroblastic development in seedlings of ''Desmodium paniculatum''.</ref> Germination rates averaged around 25%.<ref name="Skogen et al 2010">Dormancy, small seed size and low germination rates contribute to low recruitment in ''Desmodium cuspidatum'' (Fabaceae). The Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 137(4):355-365.</ref> However, larger seeds have higher rates of germination than smaller seeds.<ref name="Skogen et al 2010"/><ref name="Wulff 1986b">Wulff R. D. (1986). Seed size variation in ''Desmodium paniculatum'': II. Effects on seedling growth and physiological performance. Journal of Ecology 74(1):99-114.</ref> Rates of germination can also be increased to around 50% and 68% by article clipping or scarification/surface sterilization, respectively.<ref name="Skogen et al 2010"/>
<!--===Fire ecology===--> <!--Fire tolerance, fire dependence, adaptive fire responses-->
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<!--===Pollination===-->  
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===Fire ecology=== <!--Fire tolerance, fire dependence, adaptive fire responses-->
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This species can be found in annually burned upland pine woods<ref name= "herbarium"/> such as the Pebble Hill plantation in north Florida<ref>Robertson, K.M. Unpublished data collected from Pebble Hill Fire Plots, Pebble Hill Plantation, Thomasville, Georgia.</ref><ref>Glitzenstein, J. S., D. R. Streng, R. E. Masters, K. M. Robertson and S. M. Hermann 2012. Fire-frequency effects on vegetation in north Florida pinelands: Another look at the long-term Stoddard Fire Research Plots at Tall Timbers Research Station. Forest Ecology and Management 264: 197-209.</ref>, but it can also grow in fire excluded areas which means that it is not entirely fire dependent.<ref>Clewell, A. F. (2014). "Forest development 44 years after fire exclusion in formerly annually burned oldfield pine woodland, Florida." Castanea 79: 147-167.</ref> A study by Cushwa in 1970 found that for fire seasonality, ''D. paniculatum'' there is not a significant difference between burning in the summer or burning in the spring.<ref>Cushwa, C. T., et al. (1970). Response of legumes to prescribed burns in loblolly pine stands of the South Carolina Piedmont. Asheville, NC, USDA Forest Service, Research Note SE-140: 6.</ref> However, this species benefits most from fires in the late winter and early summer.<ref>Gee, K. L., et al. (1994). White-tailed deer: their foods and management in the cross timbers. Ardmore, OK, Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation.</ref> It benefits from high fire return intervals.<ref>Mehlman, D. W. (1992). "Effects of fire on plant community composition of North Florida second growth pineland." Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 119(4): 376-383.</ref> As well, ''Desmodium paniculatum'' has lower nitrogen concentrations in its tissues 1 year after burning than 3 years after.<ref name="Lajeunesse 2006">Lajeunesse S. D., Dilustro J. J., Sharitz R. R., and Collins B. S. (2006). Ground layer carbon and nitrogen cycling and legume nitrogen inputs following fire in mixed pine forests. American Journal of Botany 93(1):84-93.</ref>
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===Pollination===
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The following bees in the Hymenoptera order are known to pollinate this species: ''Bombus impatiens'', ''B. pensylvanica'', ''Megachile brevis brevis'', ''M. mendica'', ''M. petulans'', ''M. texana'', ''Melissodes bimaculata bimaculata'', ''Nomia nortoni nortoni'', and ''Calliopsis andreniformis''.<ref name= "fact"/><ref>Grundel, R., et al. (2011). "A survey of bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) of the Indiana Dunes and Northwest Indiana, USA." Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 84(2): 105-138.</ref>
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===Herbivory and toxicology===
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''D. paniculatum'' produces seeds which attract birds and small rodents, including upland game birds such as bobwhite quail and wild turkey and rodents such as the white-footed mouse and deer mouse. It also serves as a source of food for cottontail rabbits, livestock, and other hoofed mammalian herbivores including white tailed deer.<ref name="Leif & Belt 2013">Leif J. and Belt S. (2013). Plant Guide for Panicledleaf ticktrefoil (Desmodium paniculatum), USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Rose Lake Plant Materials Center, East Lansing, Michigan, 48823 and USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service Norman Berg National Plant Materials Center, Beltsville, Maryland, 20705.</ref> Caterpillars of the following butterflies are known to feed on the plant: hoary edge (''Achalarus lyciades''), silver-spotted skipper (''Epargyreus clarus''), southern cloudywing (''Thorybes bathyllus''), northern cloudywing (''Thorybes pylades''), eastern tailed blue (''Everes comyntas''), and gray hairstreak (''Strymon melinus''). Other insects that feed on this plant include beetles, some thirps, aphids, stinkbugs, and moth caterpillars.
  
===Use by animals=== <!--Herbivory, granivory, insect hosting, etc.-->
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===Diseases and parasites===
''D. paniculatum'' produces seeds which attract birds and small rodents, including upland game birds such as bobwhite quail and wild turkey and rodents such as the white-footed mouse and deer mouse. It also serves as a source of food for cottontail rabbits, livestock, and other hoofed mammalian herbivores including white tailed deer.<ref name="Leif & Belt 2013">Leif J. and Belt S. (2013). Plant Guide for Panicledleaf ticktrefoil (Desmodium paniculatum), USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Rose Lake Plant Materials Center, East Lansing, Michigan, 48823 and USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service Norman Berg National Plant Materials Center, Beltsville, Maryland, 20705.</ref>
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It can be infected by root-knot nematodes, include ''Meloidogyne arenaria'' and ''M. javanica''.<ref>Quesenberry, K. H., et al. (2008). "Response of native southeastern U.S. legumes to root-knot nematodes." Crop Science 48: 2274-2278.</ref>
<!--==Diseases and parasites==-->
 
  
==Conservation and Management==
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==Conservation, cultivation, and restoration==
  
==Cultivation and restoration==
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==Cultural use==
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Historically, ''D. paniculatum'' was used by the Houma Indians in Louisiana for an infusion of the roots with whiskey to treat cramps and weakness.<ref name= "fact">Kirk, S. and Belt, S. 2009.  Plant fact sheet for Panicledleaf Ticktrefoil (''Desmodium paniculatum''), USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Norman A. Berg National Plant Materials Center, Beltsville, 20705.</ref>
 
==Photo Gallery==
 
==Photo Gallery==
 
<gallery widths=180px>
 
<gallery widths=180px>
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
 
==References and notes==
 
==References and notes==

Latest revision as of 13:03, 1 August 2024

Desmodium paniculatum
Desmodium paniculatum KMR 2011.JPG
Photo by Kevin Robertson
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida - Dicots
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Desmodium
Species: D. paniculatum
Binomial name
Desmodium paniculatum
L.
DESM PANI DIST.JPG
Natural range of Desmodium paniculatum from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Common Name(s): Panicledleaf Ticktrefoil[1]

Taxonomic Notes

Synonyms: Desmodium paniculatum var. pubens Torrey & A. Gray[2]

Varieties: D. paniculatum (Linnaeus) A.P. de Candolle var. epetiolatum Schubert; D. paniculatum (Linnaeus) A.P. de Candolle var. paniculatum; Meibomia paniculata (Linnaeus) Kuntze; Meibomia pubens (Torrey & A. Gray) Rydberg; Meibomia chapmanii (Britton) Small[2]

The genus name Desmodium derives from Greek meaning "long branch or chain."[3]

Description

Desmodium paniculatum is a facultative upland dioecious perennial forb/herb.[1] Reaching heights of up to 3 feet, central stem is green in color with clover-like leaflets that are oblong and proceeding only singly up the stem. Flowers are purple and grow on the stem maturing from the bottom upwards. Fruit are seed pods that are about 1/8 inch in length.[3] It uses low amounts of water, inhabits dry clay or loamy soils, and prefers intermediate levels of shade.[4] A study showed D. paniculatum to contain 24% and 9% more dry weight in 50% and 80% shade, respectively, than in full sun.[5]

Distribution

Desmodium paniculatum can be found from Texas to Nebraska, eastward to Florida, the Carolina's, and Pennsylvania, and northward into Michigan, New York, Maine and parts of eastern Canada.[1] In Alabama, D. paniculatum is the most common species of Desmodium found.[6] D. paniculatum var. epetiolatum is distributed from southeast Virginia to either southeast North Carolina or east South Carolina while the distribution of D. paniculatum var. paniculatum is more widespread from south Maine west to south Ontatio, Michigan, and Nebraska south to south Florida and Texas.[7]

Ecology

Habitat

D. paniculatum var. epetiolatum is found in bogs and pine savannas and flatwoods while D. paniculatum var. paniculatum can be found in woodland borders, fields, and disturbed areas.[7] It prefers slightly acidic to neutral and medium to fine textured soil, and grows primarily in partial shade.[3] D. paniculatum has also been observed in marsh edges, coastal hammocks, shrubs and thickets, pine flatwoods, upland slopes of pine woods, old fields, borders of swampy wetlands, riversides and shaded banks, and limestone slopes. It grows on a variety of soils including drying sand, loamy sand, mucky clay, sandy clay, loam, alluvial, and other moist soils.[8] It is also considered a characteristic species for pine-oak-hickory woodlands.[9] It is listed as a facultative upland species, where it is commonly found in non-wetland habitats, but can occasionally be found in wetlands.[1] As well, D. paniculatum is a known pioneer species that prefers disturbance from logging, fire, or other disturbances to easily colonize a site.[3] D. paniculatum has shown regrowth in reestablished native coastal plains habitat that was disturbed by agricultural practices in South Carolina, making it a post-agricultural woodlands indicator species.[10] Additionally, it was found to have increased occurrence and abundance in response to clearcutting and chopping in South Carolina. It has also shown positive regrowth in reestablished native forest habitat that was disturbed by these practices.[11] D. paniculatum was found to be an increaser in its long-term response following cessation of repeated soil disturbance.[12]

Associated species: Pinus elliottii, Pinus taeda, Pinus palustris, Pinus sp., Carya sp., Gordonia lasianthus, Quercus laevis, Quercus nigra, Quercus sp., Sabal palmetto, Serenoa sp., Micromeria sp., Ipomoea sp., Desmodium glabellum, Desmodium sp., Juniperus sp., Solidago sp., Lespedeza sp., Heterotheca sp., Helianthus sp., Fagus grandifolia, Liquidambar styraciflua, Calycanthus sp., Lindera sp., Geranium sp., Vaccinium sp., Podophyllum sp., Polygonum sp., Eupatorium sp., Rhus copallinum, and various grasses.[8]

Phenology

It has a late flowering season.[13] D. paniculatum has been observed to flower between July and November, with peak inflorescence in September[7][14] with conspicuous purple colored flowers.[4] Flowering can be delayed and seed production reduced when grown in high densities where competition is prevalent.[15] Seed weights vary by a factor of about 4 due to difference in several interacting variables including nutrient intake, water availability, photoperiod, temperature, and grazing impact.[16]

Seed dispersal

This species is thought to be dispersed by translocation on animal fur or feathers. [17] Fruit coats are covered with sticky trichomes that allow the seeds to stick to passing organisms and be carried off until they eventually fall off.[16][18]

Seed bank and germination

Seeds of D. paniculatum germinate above the ground (epigeal germination).[19] Germination rates averaged around 25%.[20] However, larger seeds have higher rates of germination than smaller seeds.[20][21] Rates of germination can also be increased to around 50% and 68% by article clipping or scarification/surface sterilization, respectively.[20]

Fire ecology

This species can be found in annually burned upland pine woods[8] such as the Pebble Hill plantation in north Florida[22][23], but it can also grow in fire excluded areas which means that it is not entirely fire dependent.[24] A study by Cushwa in 1970 found that for fire seasonality, D. paniculatum there is not a significant difference between burning in the summer or burning in the spring.[25] However, this species benefits most from fires in the late winter and early summer.[26] It benefits from high fire return intervals.[27] As well, Desmodium paniculatum has lower nitrogen concentrations in its tissues 1 year after burning than 3 years after.[28]

Pollination

The following bees in the Hymenoptera order are known to pollinate this species: Bombus impatiens, B. pensylvanica, Megachile brevis brevis, M. mendica, M. petulans, M. texana, Melissodes bimaculata bimaculata, Nomia nortoni nortoni, and Calliopsis andreniformis.[3][29]

Herbivory and toxicology

D. paniculatum produces seeds which attract birds and small rodents, including upland game birds such as bobwhite quail and wild turkey and rodents such as the white-footed mouse and deer mouse. It also serves as a source of food for cottontail rabbits, livestock, and other hoofed mammalian herbivores including white tailed deer.[30] Caterpillars of the following butterflies are known to feed on the plant: hoary edge (Achalarus lyciades), silver-spotted skipper (Epargyreus clarus), southern cloudywing (Thorybes bathyllus), northern cloudywing (Thorybes pylades), eastern tailed blue (Everes comyntas), and gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus). Other insects that feed on this plant include beetles, some thirps, aphids, stinkbugs, and moth caterpillars.

Diseases and parasites

It can be infected by root-knot nematodes, include Meloidogyne arenaria and M. javanica.[31]

Conservation, cultivation, and restoration

Cultural use

Historically, D. paniculatum was used by the Houma Indians in Louisiana for an infusion of the roots with whiskey to treat cramps and weakness.[3]

Photo Gallery

References and notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 USDA, NRCS. (2016). The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 30 November 2017). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Weakley, A.S. 2020. Flora of the Southeastern United States. Edition of 20 October 2020. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
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