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Desmodium paniculatum

panicled ticktrefoil

Fabaceae Eastern and central North America

Attracts Pollinators Attracts Butterflies Drought Tolerant

Native to North America

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterLow · drought-tolerant

HardinessZones 4–8

Overview

Desmodium paniculatum is an upright herbaceous perennial legume growing 2-4 feet (60-120 cm) tall on slender, wiry stems, often leaning among surrounding plants. The leaves are divided into three narrow, lance-shaped leaflets 1-3 inches (2.5-8 cm) long. From midsummer into early fall it produces open, branching sprays of small pink to rose-purple pea-like flowers about 0.25 inch (6 mm) long. The flowers give way to flat seed pods, called loments, that are pinched into segments and covered with tiny hooked hairs; the segments break apart and cling to clothing, fur, and feathers, spreading the seed. As a legume it fixes nitrogen through root nodules and grows on lean soils. It is native to open woods, woodland edges, prairies, and clearings across eastern and central North America. The plant supports native bees and serves as a larval host for several butterflies, while deer and game birds eat the foliage and seed. The clinging seed pods can be a nuisance on clothing and pets, and the loose, wiry habit suits naturalized rather than formal plantings.

Native Range

Native to eastern and central North America, from southern Canada and New England south to Florida and Texas. It grows in open woods, woodland edges, savannas, prairies, and disturbed clearings.

Suggested Uses

Used in native plantings, woodland edges, meadows, and habitat or pollinator gardens. It suits naturalized areas where its wiry habit and clinging seed pods are not a concern. As a nitrogen-fixing legume it also serves in restoration plantings on poor soils.

How to Identify

Recognized by slender, wiry stems 2-4 feet (60-120 cm) tall bearing leaves of three narrow, lance-shaped leaflets. Small pink to rose-purple pea flowers are arranged in open, branched sprays well above the foliage in summer. The flat, segmented seed pods covered in hooked hairs that stick to clothing are the surest identifying feature, shared across the tick-trefoils.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height2' - 4'

Width/Spread1' - 2'

Reaches mature size in approximately 2 years

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~6 weeks

Summer Fall

Blooms from July into September, with loose sprays of small pink to purple flowers opening over several weeks. Individual flowers are short-lived, but the branched clusters extend the bloom. Segmented seed pods follow and persist into fall, clinging to anything that brushes past.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

pink to rose-purple

Foliage Description

green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 4-8 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range5.0 - 7.0(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

loam sand rocky

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Low

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

2 years

Drought Tolerance

Drought tolerant when established

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Grows in full sun to partial shade on dry to medium, well-drained soils, including sandy, loamy, and rocky ground, across a pH of about 5.0-7.0. As a nitrogen-fixing legume it grows on lean soils and needs no fertilizer. Established plants tolerate drought and need little supplemental water. It is hardy in USDA zones 4-8 and dies back to the ground each winter. The wiry stems lean on neighbors for support and can sprawl in the open. It self-seeds readily by way of its clinging pods, so seedlings may appear at a distance from the parent plant.

Pruning

Plants can be cut back in late winter once the stems have died down and seed has dispersed. Cutting stems back in early summer keeps growth lower and less sprawling. Removing seed pods before they ripen limits the spread of clinging seed.

✓ Toxicity

Non-toxic