SimplePlant

Fabaceae

Scorpion ticktrefoil

Desmodium scorpiurus (Sw.) Poir.

Family
Fabaceae
Genus
Desmodium

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Scorpion ticktrefoil: Desmodium scorpiurus (Sw.) Desv.
Photo: Dinesh Valke from Thane, India, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons

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Common names

By language (2)
Chinese
虾尾山蚂蝗, 蝦尾山螞蝗, 蝎尾山蚂蝗, 蝎尾山蚂蟥, 蝦尾山蚂蝗
English
Scorpion ticktrefoil, Samoan clover, Scorpion tick trefoil, Scorpion tick-trefoil

Synonyms

  • Desmodium akoense Hayata
  • Desmodium arenarium Kunth
  • Desmodium cinereum Poepp. ex Griseb.
  • Desmodium multicaule DC.
  • Desmodium parviflorum M.Martens & Galeotti
  • Desmodium virgatum Desv.
  • Hedysarum ramosum Willd. ex Steud.
  • Hedysarum scorpiurus Sw.
  • Meibomia arenaria (Kunth) Kuntze
  • Meibomia martensii Kuntze
  • Meibomia multicaulis (DC.) Kuntze
  • Meibomia scorpiurus (Sw.) Kuntze
  • Nissoloides cylindrica M.E.Jones

Characteristics

Growth habit
Forb/herb
Lifespan
Perennial
In the US and Canada
Lower 48 states: introduced, Puerto Rico: native, U.S. Virgin Islands: native

Photos

More in Desmodium

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.