Desmodium tortuosum (Sw.) DC., Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results: 

Reject, score: 6 (Go to the risk assessment (Australia))
Reject, score 14 (Go to the risk assessment (U.S. (Florida)))

Other Latin names:  Desmodium purpureum (Miller) Fawcett & Rendle

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: nan mei shan ma huang

English: dixie ticktrefoil, Florida beggarweed, Spanish clover

French: colle-colle

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Erect herbs or subshrubs 5-20 dm tall; stems hooked pubescent. Leaves trifoliolate, leaflets elliptic to ovate, terminal one 3-10 cm long, 1.5-5 cm wide, both surfaces appressed pubescent with minute hooked hairs, apex obtuse to acute, base cuneate to obtuse, petioles 1-5 cm long. Flowers numerous in open, racemose inflorescences 3-8 cm long, occasionally these grouped into diffuse, paniculate inflorescences up to 25 cm long, rachis densely glandular pilose, less so with age, and puberulent with hooked hairs, pedicels slender, 10-15 mm long; corolla pink to bluish purple, 5-6 mm long. Pods stipitate, (3-) 5-7-jointed, (1.5-) 2-3 cm long, pubescent with hooked hairs, articles usually orbicular to broadly elliptic, 3-4.5 mm long, 3-3.5 mm wide" (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 669, 1877).

Habitat/ecology:  Roadsides and disturbed areas. In Hawai‘i, "in dry disturbed areas near the coast and in open, disturbed wet forest and along roadsides from 20-670 m" (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 669). In New Caledonia, "localement commun en bords de routes" (MacKee, 1994; p. 83).

Propagation:  Seed. Pods break apart and stick to clothes, fur, etc.

Native range:  Tropical and subtropical America.

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
American Samoa Tutuila Islands	Tutuila Island		Whistler, W. A. (1988) (p. 24) Voucher cited: Whistler 303
American Samoa Tutuila Islands	Tutuila Island	introduced invasive	Anon. (1988)
American Samoa Tutuila Islands	Tutuila Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1974) (voucher ID: BISH 418116) Taxon name on voucher: Desmodium tortuosum (Sw.) DC.
American Samoa Tutuila Islands	Tutuila Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (1992) (voucher ID: PTBG 16358) Taxon name on voucher: Desmodium tortuosum
Australia (Pacific offshore islands) Norfolk Islands	Norfolk Island	introduced invasive	Orchard, Anthony E., ed. (1994) (p. 9) "Naturalised, presumably introduced with fodder". Voucher cited: R.O. Gardner 6193 (AK, K)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Anatahan Island	introduced	Raulerson, L. (2006) (p. 37)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Mangaia Island		Sykes, Bill (year unknown) Recorded by Art Whistler per Bill Sykes.
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Mangaia Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (2002) (voucher ID: PTBG 41488) Taxon name on voucher: Desmodium tortuosum (Sw.) DC.
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Fefan Island	introduced	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Denslow, Julie S./Nelson, Duane/Mazawa, Thomas R. (2000) (p. 26)
Federated States of Micronesia Kosrae Island	Kosrae Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Denslow, Julie S./Nelson, Duane/Waguk, Erick E. (2000) (p. 6) Vouchers: BMW 5757 (BISH, BRI), BMW 5764 (BISH, BRI, GUAM)
Federated States of Micronesia Kosrae Island	Kosrae Island	introduced invasive	Josekutty, P. C./Wakuk, E. E./Joseph, M. J. (2002) (p. 62)
Federated States of Micronesia Kosrae Island	Kosrae Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (2000) (voucher ID: BISH 687670) Taxon name on voucher: Desmodium tortuosum (Sw.) DC.
Federated States of Micronesia Kosrae Island	Kosrae Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (2005) (voucher ID: PTBG 44921) Taxon name on voucher: Desmodium tortuosum
Fiji Fiji Islands	Ovalau Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (p. 191) Voucher cited: DA 17039 Presumably adventive.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Taveuni Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1953) (voucher ID: BISH 14418) Taxon name on voucher: Desmodium tortuosum (Sw.) DC.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (p. 191) Vouchers cited: Tothill 108; DA 35, 3075, 4049, 5819, 5820, L.11427, 14354 Presumably adventive.
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Raulerson, L. (2006) (p. 37)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 668-669)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaho‘olawe Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 668-669)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 668-669)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Lāna‘i Island	introduced	Wester, Lyndon (1992) (p. 138)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 668-669)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive	Hughes, Guy D'Oyly (1995) (p. 5) Vouchers cited: Hughes s.n. (BISH), Hughes 28 (US) Sparingly naturalized in lowland shrubland.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Ni‘ihau Island	introduced	Wester, Lyndon (1992) (p. 138)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 668-669)
Japan (offshore islands) Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	introduced	Kato, Hidetoshi (2007)
Kiribati Tungaru (Gilbert) Islands	Tarawa Atoll	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 110)
Kiribati Tungaru (Gilbert) Islands	Tarawa Atoll	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Imada, Clyde T. (2004) (p. 74)
Kiribati Tungaru (Gilbert) Islands	Tarawa Atoll	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Falanruw, M. V. C. (1980) (p. 205) Voucher cited: Adair 230 (US, BISH)
Nauru Nauru Island	Nauru Island	introduced invasive	Thaman, R. R./Fosberg, F. R./Manner, H. I./Hassall, D. C. (1994) (p. 146) Vouchers cited: Fosberg 58639 (US), Fosberg 58741 (US), Scully 110N (US), Thaman & Manner 87 (SUVA), Thaman & Manner 22308 (SUVA)
Nauru Nauru Island	Nauru Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1990) (voucher ID: BISH 650099) Taxon name on voucher: Desmodium tortuosum (Sw.) DC.
Nauru Nauru Island	Nauru Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1978) (voucher ID: BISH 660340) Taxon name on voucher: Desmodium tortuosum (Sw.) DC.
Nauru Nauru Island	Nauru Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1978) (voucher ID: BISH 660711) Taxon name on voucher: Desmodium tortuosum (Sw.) DC.
New Caledonia New Caledonia	New Caledonia Islands		Swarbrick, John T. (1997) (p. 91)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 83) Vouchers cited: Mackee 30690, Mackee 36455, Mackee 39822
Palau Palau (main island group)	Babeldaob Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (p. 85)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (p. 80)
Papua New Guinea Bismarck Archipelago	Bismarck Archipelago	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Papua New Guinea Bismarck Archipelago	Bismarck Archipelago		Peekel, P. G. [translated by E. E. Henty] (1984) (pp. 237-239) Common in bush and at roadsides.
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Pitcairn Islands Pitcairn Islands	Pitcairn Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Voucher cited: J. Florence 10783 (PAP) Adventice
Pitcairn Islands Pitcairn Islands	Pitcairn Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1991) (voucher ID: BISH 643234) Taxon name on voucher: Desmodium tortuosum (Sw.) DC.
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island		Whistler, W. A. (1988) (p. 24) Manono. Voucher cited: Whistler 2406
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands		Swarbrick, John T. (1997) (p. 91)
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	native	Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. (1988) (p. 66)
Tonga Tongatapu Group	Tongatapu Island		Whistler, W. A. (1992) (p. 29) Vouchers cited: Soakai 239, Soakai 425
Tonga Tongatapu Group	Tongatapu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1959) (voucher ID: BISH 41380) Taxon name on voucher: Desmodium tortuosum (Sw.) DC.
Tonga Tongatapu Group	Tongatapu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1958) (voucher ID: BISH 154341) Taxon name on voucher: Desmodium tortuosum (Sw.) DC.
Tonga Vava‘u Group	Vava‘u Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2001) (p. 66)
Tonga Vava‘u Group	Vava‘u Island		Whistler, W. A. (1992) (p. 29) Voucher cited: Crosby s.n. (s.n.?). As D. spirale. Det. as D. procumbens (Mill.) Hitchc. by Schubert in 1964.

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)	Australia (continental)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 124)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	introduced invasive	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) "Wastelands, plains; low elevations. Introduced and naturalized in Guangdong".
China China	Hong Kong	introduced invasive	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 144) In wasteland.
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Costa Rica Costa Rica	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Ecuador (Mainland) Ecuador	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	uncertain if native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
El Salvador El Salvador	El Salvador (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Guatemala Guatemala	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Honduras Honduras	Honduras (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Indonesia Indonesia	West Papua Province (Indonesia) (western New Guinea Island) (formerly Irian Jaya)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Nicaragua Nicaragua	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Panama Panama	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Perú Perú	Perú (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
British Indian Ocean Territory Chagos Archipelago	Diego Garcia Island	introduced invasive	Whistler, W. Arthur (1996) (p. 28)
British Indian Ocean Territory Chagos Archipelago	Diego Garcia Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (1995) (voucher ID: PTBG 37925) Taxon name on voucher: Desmodium tortuosum (Sw.) DC.
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced invasive	Lavergne, Christophe (2006) "Naturalisé/envahissant"
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)

Comments:  Quite prevalent along roadsides and forest tracks on Kosrae (Space et al., 2000).

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

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

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

References:

Anon. 1988. Weed list for American Samoa by cropping system. Checklist dated 07/13/88, origin unknown. 3 pp.

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1953. Voucher specimen #BISH 14418 (Parham, J.W. 11513).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1958. Voucher specimen #BISH 154341 (Soakai, E. 239).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1959. Voucher specimen #BISH 41380 (Soakai, E. 425).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1974. Voucher specimen #BISH 418116 (Whistler, W.A. W 1454).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1978. Voucher specimen #BISH 660340 (Fosberg, F.R. 58639).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1978. Voucher specimen #BISH 660711 (Fosberg, F.R. 58741).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1990. Voucher specimen #BISH 650099 (J.-F.Cherrier 45240).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1991. Voucher specimen #BISH 643234 (Florence 10783).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 2000. Voucher specimen #BISH 687670 (Waterhouse, B.M. BMW5764).

Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. 2011. Base de données botaniques Nadeaud de l'Herbier de la Polynésie Française (PAP). (online resource).

Fosberg, F. R./Falanruw, M. V. C. 1980. Noteworthy Micronesian plants 4. Micronesica 16(2):201-210.

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.

Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 391 pp.

Hughes, Guy D'Oyly. 1995. New Hawaiian plant records II. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Miller, Scott, E., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1994. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 42:1-10.

ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre. 2011. International Legume Database & Information Service. Online searchable database.

Josekutty, P. C./Wakuk, E. E./Joseph, M. J. 2002. Invasive/weedy angiosperms in Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia. In: Invasive species and their management. Micronesica Suppl. 6:61-65.

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

Lavergne, Christophe. 2006. List des especes exotiques envahissantes a La Reunion. Unpublished manuscript (Excel file). .

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

National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.). 1995. Voucher specimen #PTBG37926(Art Whistler 9800).

National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.). 1995. Voucher specimen #PTBG37925(Art Whistler 9793).

National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.). 2002. Voucher specimen #PTBG41488(Tim Flynn 7032).

Orchard, Anthony E., ed. 1994. Flora of Australia. Vol. 49, Oceanic islands 1. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.

Peekel, P. G. [translated by E. E. Henty]. 1984. Flora of the Bismarck Archipelago for naturalists. Office of Forests, Division of Botany, Lae, Papua New Guinea. 638 pp. ISBN 9980-66-000-7.

Raulerson, L. 2006. Checklist of Plants of the Mariana Islands. University of Guam Herbarium Contribution 37:1-69. .

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

Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2001. Report to the Kingdom of Tonga on invasive plant species of environmental concern.  USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 78 pp.

Space, James C./Imada, Clyde T. 2004. Report to the Republic of Kiribati on invasive plant species on the islands of Tarawa, Abemama, Butaritari and Maiana. Cont. no. 2003-006 to the Pac. Biol. Surv. USDA Forest Service and Bishop Museum, Honolulu. 103 pp.

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Denslow, Julie S./Nelson, Duane/Mazawa, Thomas R. 2000. Invasive plant species in Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia.  USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 41 pp.

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Denslow, Julie S./Nelson, Duane/Waguk, Erick E. 2000. Invasive plant species on Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia.  USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 43 pp.

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar. 2003. Report to the Republic of Palau on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 174 pp.

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

Sykes, Bill. 0. Bill Sykes, pers. com.

Thaman, R. R./Fosberg, F. R./Manner, H. I./Hassall, D. C. 1994. The flora of Nauru. Smithsonian Institution, Washington. Atoll Research Bulletin 392:1-223.

U. S. Government. 2011. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (on-line resource).

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./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).

Wester, Lyndon. 1992. Origin and distribution of adventive flowering plants in Hawai‘i. In: Stone, Charles P.; Smith, Clifford W. and Tunison, J. Timothy. Alien plant invasions in native ecosystems of Hawaii: Management and Research. University of Hawaii, Cooperative National Park Research Studies Unit, Honolulu. University of Hawaii Press. .

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

Whistler, W. A. 1992. Flora of Tonga [unpublished checklist]. 107 pp.

Whistler, W. Arthur. 1996. Botanical survey of Diego Garcia, Chagos Archipelago, British Indian Ocean Territory. Isle Botanica. 49 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).