It's been a while since I've done a straight-up botanical post. This is a nice specimen of this plant, so I stopped to take its picture.
There are a number of different kinds of tick trefoil. Trefoil is "three leaves," just what the word implies. Not sure why they are "ticks," except that the seed pods sure do stick to your clothes.
The three leaves might make you think of poison ivy, but these leaves are rounder.
It doesn't grow like poison ivy either. Notice how the leaf stalks come out of the center in a whorl.
Before the nasty seeds appear, however, the blossoms are quite pretty.
It often grows along back roads here. There are quite a few tick trefoils, and I have trouble remembering which is which, so this was a good review for me.
Scientific name: Desmodium glutinosum .
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4 comments:
I'm glad I read this post. I often look at plants like this and just think of them as weeds because I don't know any better. I learn a little bit here and there, like now, but I'm still not very good at identifying most plants.
I have never seen this one, our "trefoils" are mostly tiny the commonest to me is lesser trefoil thank goodness for latin names, there was a time in my youth I hated them.
so those pretty little flowers turn into annoying seed pods? What a shame
Ratty- do you have some books? Peterson Field Guide is good for starters.
Carol- I added the Scientific name. Just forgot last night.
Ann- Yes, pea-like pods that stick like velcro.
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