Desmodium perplexum
| Desmodium perplexum | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Desmodium |
| Species: | D. perplexum
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| Binomial name | |
| Desmodium perplexum | |
| Synonyms[3] | |
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Desmodium perplexum is a species of flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is native to eastern North America.
Description
Desmodium perplexum is a herbaceous perennial plant. It has trifoliate leaves with petioles at least 10 mm (0.39 in) long. Its fruit is a type of legume called a loment that separates into single-seeded segments with hooked hairs that stick to fur and clothing.
Desmodium perplexum is morphologically similar to Desmodium glabellum. The two species may be distinguished by a combination of fruiting and vegetative characters:
| Desmodium glabellum | Desmodium perplexum | |
|---|---|---|
| Fruit shape | The bottom margins of most segments are straight to slightly convex | The bottom margins of most segments are concave |
| Leaf arrangement | Going up the stem, the leaves are gradually but noticeably reduced in size and petiole length, often with small leaves extending onto the flowering branches | Going up the stem, the leaves are mostly the same size and do not (or slightly) extend onto the flowering branches (the few leaves that do extend onto the flowering branches are reduced in size but abruptly so) |
| Leaf shape | Terminal leaflets are lanceolate to broadly ovate (most specimens, especially of full sun habitats, are on the narrow end of this range), broadest nearer the base than the middle | Terminal leaflets are narrowly ovate to broadly elliptic-ovate (most specimens are on the wider end of this range), broadest nearer the middle than the base |
Taxonomy
Desmodium perplexum was first described by the American botanist Bernice Schubert in 1950.[4] The specific name perplexum refers to the "perplexity of botanists" concerned with the taxon known as Desmodium dillenii Darl.[5] As "the least clearly understood species of the genus", Schubert declared Desmodium dillenii to be a nomen confusum (i.e., a "confusing name") and then attempted to resolve the confusion by splitting the taxon into two distinct taxa, one of which became Desmodium perplexum B.G.Schub.[2] The other taxon was given the name Desmodium glabellum (Michx.) DC.[6]
Desmodium perplexum is a member of the Desmodium paniculatum complex, a group of closely related taxa that includes Desmodium paniculatum, Desmodium glabellum, Desmodium perplexum, and Desmodium fernaldii. The composite taxon Desmodium dillenii is also a member of this group but the name is no longer in use.[7]
Distribution and habitat
Desmodium perplexum is native to eastern North America.[8]
References
- ^ "Desmodium perplexum". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Desmodium perplexum B.G.Schub.". International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries; Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
- ^ "Desmodium perplexum B.G.Schub.". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
- ^ Schubert (1950), pp. 154–155.
- ^ "Desmodium dillenii Darl.". International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries; Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ "Desmodium glabellum (Michx.) DC.". International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries; Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
- ^ Thomas (2020), pp. 29–30.
- ^ Kartesz, John T. (2014). "Desmodium perplexum". State-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). Retrieved 2 February 2024.
Bibliography
- Darlington, William (1837). Flora cestrica: an attempt to enumerate and describe the flowering and filicoid plants of Chester County, in the state of Pennsylvania. West-Chester, Penn: S. Siegfried. pp. i–xxiii, 1–640. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- Schubert, Bernice G. (June 1950). "Desmodium: Preliminary Studies—III". Rhodora. 52 (618): 135–155. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
- Thomas, Justin R. (2020). "Desmodium glabellum and D. perplexum (Fabaceae): a morphological reevaluation" (PDF). Missouriensis. 38. Missouri Native Plant Society: 29–50. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
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