Desmodium heterophyllum (Willd.) DC., Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Evaluate, score: 3 (Go to the risk assessment)

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: yi ye shan ma huang

English: hetero, Spanish clover, variable-leaf ticktrefoil

Fijian: senivakathengu, wakutu

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Herbs, prostrate or ascending, 10-70 cm tall. Young parts spreading pubescent. Leaves 3-foliolate, often intermixed with 1-foliolate leaves on lower part; petiole 0.5-1.5 cm; terminal leaflet blade broadly elliptic or broadly elliptic-obovate, 1-3 x 0.8-1.5 cm, base obtuse, apex rounded or nearly truncate, often emarginate. Flowers solitary or binate in leaf axils or 2 or 3 scattered on rachis. Pedicel 1-2.5 cm. Calyx 5-parted; upper 2 lobes deeply incised near base, villous and minutely hooked hairy. Corolla purple-red to white, ca. 5 mm; standard broadly obovate; wings obovate or narrowly elliptic, shortly auriculate; keel slightly curved, shortly clawed. Stamens diadelphous. Ovary adpressed pubescent. Legume narrowly oblong, straight or curved, 1.2-1.8 cm x ca. 3 mm, lower suture deeply undulate, upper suture straight, 3-5-jointed, flat; articles broadly oblong or quadrate, 3.5-4 mm, glabrescent, reticulate veined"  (Flora of China online).

"A prostrate spreading sometimes weakly ascending somewhat mat-forming herb with tough woody roots and small trifoliolate leaves; stems pilose; leaflets elliptic-obovate, rounded or notched at tip, mostly 1.3-2 cm long, short-petiolulate, puberulent dorsally; inflorescences axillary, short; flowers 5-6 mm long, sometimes solitary; peduncle 1-1.5 cm long, pilose; calyx pubescent; corolla pink; standard sessile; pods 4-6-jointed, 1.6-2 cm long, 3 mm wide, constricted between the joints only on the ventral rib, sometimes slightly dehiscent"  (Stone, 1970; pp. 331-332).

Habitat/ecology:  "In Fiji, occurring at elevations from near sea level to about 1,000 m and abundantly naturalized in pastures, grassland, plantations, waste places, and villages, and sometimes along forest trails" (Smith, 1985; p. 194).  "Uncommon to occasional in disturbed places" (Whistler, 1988; p. 23).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Mascarene Islands to India, Southeast Asia, Philippines and Taiwan (Stone, 1970; pp. 331-332).  "Southeastern Asia to Malesia and perhaps to the Mariana Islands, now widely naturalized in the Pacific eastward to Hawai'i." (Smith, 1985; p. 194).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Alamagan Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 109)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Alamagan Island	introduced invasive	Fosberg, F. R./Falanruw, M. V. C./Sachet, M.-H. (1975) (p. 27) Voucher cited: Kanehira 2183 (NY)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Pagan Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 109)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Rota Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 109)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Saipan Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 109)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Tinian Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 109)
Cook Islands Cook Islands	Cook Islands		McCormack, Gerald (2011)
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Chuuk Islands	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 109)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 109)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	introduced invasive	Herrera, Katherine/Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy/Balick, Michael J. (2010) (p. 92) Naturalized
Federated States of Micronesia Yap Islands	Yap (Waqab) Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 109)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Mbengga Island	introduced invasive	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (p. 194) Voucher cited: DA 9618
Fiji Fiji Islands	Rambi Island	introduced invasive	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (p. 194) Voucher cited: DA 21 Jan. 48
Fiji Fiji Islands	Taveuni Island	introduced invasive	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (p. 194) Voucher cited: DA 8884
Fiji Fiji Islands	Vanua Levu Island	introduced invasive	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (p. 194) Vouchers cited: DA 5029, Smith 6871, Greenwood 604, DA 8825
Fiji Fiji Islands	Vatulele Island	introduced invasive	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (p. 194) Voucher cited: Tothill 122
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced invasive	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (p. 194) Vouchers cited: Greenwood 518B, Smith 4761, DA 9430, Smith 9500, DA 9597, DA 6019, Gillespie 3415, Smith 7222, DA 9963, Bryan 183, Degener & Ordonez 13513
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	native	Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (pp. 331-332)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 109) Native per Stone, introduced per Fosberg et al.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Herbst, Derral R./Wagner, Warren L. (1999) (p. 21) Voucher cited: Herbst 9791 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R. (1995) (p. 20) East Maui. Vouchers cited: Hobdy 2918 (BISH), Hobdy 2920 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank L. (2003) (p. 12) West Maui. Voucher cited: Oppenheimer H50104 (BISH, PTBG)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R. (1995) (p. 20) Voucher cited: Evans M-84 (BISH)
Japan (offshore islands) Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	introduced	Kato, Hidetoshi (2007)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 82) Vouchers cited: Toutain 4125 (NOU), Toutain 4156 (NOU)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Babeldaob Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 109) var. buergeri
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands		Merrill, Elmer D. (1923) (p. 286) In open, usually damp grasslands, old clearings, etc., at low and medium altitudes.
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island		Whistler, W. A. (1988) (p. 23)
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands		Swarbrick, John T. (1997) (p. 91)
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	introduced invasive cultivated	Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. (1988) (p. 65)
Tonga Tonga Islands	Tonga Islands		Whistler, W. A. (1988) (p. 23)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) "Riversides, roadsides, field margins, grasslands; 200-500 m".
China China	Hong Kong	native	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 143)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Japan Ryukyu Islands	Ryukyu Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	uncertain if introduced invasive	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 33) Weed of uncertain origin
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) "Riversides, roadsides, field margins, grasslands; 200-500 m".
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Additional information:
Additional online information about Desmodium heterophyllum is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Desmodium heterophyllum as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Desmodium heterophyllum may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. 2009. A checklist of the total vascular plant flora of Singapore: native, naturalised and cultivated species. Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore. 273 pp.

Fosberg, F. R./Falanruw, M. V. C./Sachet, M.-H. 1975. Vascular flora of the northern Marianas Islands. Smithsonian Contrib. Bot. 22:1-45.

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1979. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian dicotyledonae. Micronesica 15:1-295.

Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. 1988. Flora of the Solomon Islands. Research Bulletin No. 7. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Honiara. 203 pp.

Herbst, Derral R./Wagner, Warren L. 1999. Contributions to the flora of Hawai‘i. VII. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1998. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 58:12-36.

Herrera, Katherine/Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy/Balick, Michael J. 2010. Checklist of the vascular plants of Pohnpei with local names and uses. Allertonia, in press. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Hawai‘i. 146 pp.

Kato, Hidetoshi. 2007. Herbarium records of Makino Herbarium, Tokyo Metropolitan University. Personal communication.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

McCormack, Gerald. 2011. Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga.

Merrill, Elmer D. 1923. An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants, vol. 2 [reprint]. Bureau of Printing, Manila. 530 pp.

Oppenheimer, Hank L. 2003. New plant records from Maui and Hawai‘i Counties. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2001-2002. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 73:3-30.

Smith, Albert C. 1985. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 3. 758 pp.

Stone, Benjamin C. 1970. The flora of Guam. Micronesica 6:1-659.

Swarbrick, John T. 1997. Weeds of the Pacific Islands. Technical paper no. 209. South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 124 pp.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R. 1995. Contributions to the Flora of Hawai‘i. IV. New Records and name changes. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Miller, Scott, E., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1994. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 42:13-27.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Whistler, W. A. 1988. Checklist of the weed flora of western Polynesia. Technical Paper No. 194, South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 69 pp.

Wu, Te-lin. 2001. Check List of Hong Kong Plants. Hong Kong Herbarium and the South China Institute of Botany. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department Bulletin 1 (revised). 384 pp.

Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong. 2011. Flora of China (online resource).