Silverleaf desmodium
Desmodium uncinatum
family
Fabaceae
origin
Exotic
declaration
Council Pest Vegetation (BCC Natural Asset Local Law)
Council Pest Vegetation (BCC Natural Asset Local Law)
Common names
Spanish clover, Tick clover, Velcro plant.
Usually a long-lived creeping or scrambling vine with stems up to 1.5 m long. Its stems are densely covered with hooked or curved hairs and readily adhere to skin or clothing. Its alternately arranged leaves are compound with three leaflets and are borne on stalks 2-5.5 cm long. Its leaflets (2-10 cm long) have pointed tips and their upper surfaces have a distinct silvery stripe. Its pea-shaped flowers are arranged in elongated clusters at the tips of the stems or in the upper leaf forks. These pink or purplish flowers (7-10 mm long) usually turn bluish or bluish-green as they age. Its elongated pods (1-3 cm long) are covered in hooked hairs, and readily separate into 3-10 small one-seeded segments.
Impact
Impact
Silverleaf desmodium (Desmodium uncinatum) was introduced as a fodder crop and has now become a weed of creekbanks (i.e. riparian areas), roadsides, fencelines, forest margins, disturbed sites, waste areas and plantation crops (e.g. sugarcane). It is regarded as an important environmental weed in south-eastern Queensland, and was recently ranked among the top 100 invasive plants species in the region. It is also regarded as an environmental weed in the New South Wales North Coast region., Silverleaf desmodium (Desmodium uncinatum) spreads into forest margins and along creeks where it trails over shrubs and groundcovers, but it does not climb into trees. It has also been reported to ensnare and kill native wildlife (e.g. frogs, birds, lizards and microbats) that easily become stuck to its stems and fruit.
Location
Location
Characteristics
Characteristics
Similar Species
Similar Species
Silverleaf desmodium (Desmodium uncinatum) was introduced as a fodder crop and has now become a weed of creekbanks (i.e. riparian areas), roadsides, fencelines, forest margins, disturbed sites, waste areas and plantation crops (e.g. sugarcane). It is regarded as an important environmental weed in south-eastern Queensland, and was recently ranked among the top 100 invasive plants species in the region. It is also regarded as an environmental weed in the New South Wales North Coast region., Silverleaf desmodium (Desmodium uncinatum) spreads into forest margins and along creeks where it trails over shrubs and groundcovers, but it does not climb into trees. It has also been reported to ensnare and kill native wildlife (e.g. frogs, birds, lizards and microbats) that easily become stuck to its stems and fruit.
