Desmodium perplexumB.G.Schub.

perplexed ticktrefoil

WFO wfo-0000170341 Accepted WFO 2026-06 8 photographs CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-SA

Plate 1 figs. a–h · 8 separate observations

Desmodium perplexum, photographed by Katja Schulz
fig. a Katja Schulz, CC BY 4.0 / 2021-10-02 / obs. 163893706
Desmodium perplexum, photographed by Yann Kemper
fig. b Yann Kemper, CC0 1.0 / obs. 156765290
Desmodium perplexum, photographed by Reuven Martin
fig. c Reuven Martin, CC0 1.0 / obs. 145228367
Desmodium perplexum, photographed by Brian Finzel
fig. d Brian Finzel, CC BY-SA 4.0 / obs. 343370755
Desmodium perplexum, photographed by Matt Schultz
fig. e Matt Schultz, CC0 1.0 / obs. 90981214
Desmodium perplexum, photographed by Reuven Martin
fig. f Reuven Martin, CC0 1.0 / obs. 90698424
Desmodium perplexum, photographed by Reuven Martin
fig. g Reuven Martin, CC0 1.0 / obs. 87641976
Desmodium perplexum, photographed by Reuven Martin
fig. h Reuven Martin, CC0 1.0 / obs. 86155040

Every figure is a research-grade observation under CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA, rehosted with the photographer’s name, the licence and the observation it came from. Photographs under a NonCommercial licence are excluded from this site and are never stored, which costs us a great many pictures and is not negotiable.

Native range 24 botanical countries

Regions where Desmodium perplexum is native: Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Labrador, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Brunswick, New York, Newfoundland, North Carolina, Nova Scotia, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Prince Edward I., Québec, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin AlabamaIllinoisIndianaIowaLabradorMarylandMassachusettsMissouriNew BrunswickNew YorkNewfoundlandNorth CarolinaNova ScotiaOhioOklahomaOntarioPennsylvaniaPrince Edward I.QuébecSouth CarolinaTennesseeVermontWest VirginiaWisconsin
Native distribution of Desmodium perplexum, after Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Introduced, extinct and doubtful records are excluded, so this is where the plant is from, not everywhere it now grows.
RegionTDWG codeContinent
Alabama ALA NORTHERN AMERICA
Illinois ILL
Indiana INI
Iowa IOW
Labrador LAB
Maryland MRY
Massachusetts MAS
Missouri MSO
New Brunswick NBR
New York NWY
Newfoundland NFL
North Carolina NCA
Nova Scotia NSC
Ohio OHI
Oklahoma OKL
Ontario ONT
Pennsylvania PEN
Prince Edward I. PEI
Québec QUE
South Carolina SCA
Tennessee TEN
Vermont VER
West Virginia WVA
Wisconsin WIS

Region boundaries approximated from Natural Earth (public domain) and mapped to TDWG World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD) level-3 botanical countries (Brummitt 2001). Indicative, not the official WGSRPD geometry.

Also published as 3 synonyms

A synonym is not an error. It is a record of botanists disagreeing, in print, about where this plant belongs. Each of these was somebody’s considered answer.

  • Desmodium boottii Torr.
  • Hedysarum boottii Torr.
  • Meibomia boottii (Torr.) Schindl.

Sourcesevery claim on this page

  1. World Flora Online Plant List. accepted name, authority, classification. CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  2. iNaturalist. photographs and flowering annotations, CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-SA only. per photograph. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  3. Wikidata. common name (P1843), joined on the World Flora Online identifier (P7715). CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  4. Kew, World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP v16). native distribution by TDWG level-3 botanical country, and life form. CC BY 3.0. Retrieved 2026-06-04.

We publish what we can source and we say so when we cannot. This page has no care advice and no toxicity claim, because we do not yet have those from a source we can cite.