Sunday, October 02, 2011

stiff ticktrefoil

This is an example of Desmodium obtusum in the family Fabaceae:



Taken Sept. 23, 2011 south of Opelika, AL on State Road 51, D. obtusum is native to North America.  Desmodium spp. is found through out the United States and there are over 70 species in this genus.  According to Wikipedia, however, the genus is not well defined and has a tendency to gain and lose members.  Regardless of the particulars of which plant is assigned to which species, Desmodium spp. is finding use in agriculture as a natural source of bug repellant and weed killer. 

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