Desmodium tortuosum
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Photo: Bart Wursten
Haslemere Lane, Umwinsidale
Photo: Bart Wursten
Haslemere Lane, Umwinsidale
Photo: Bart Wursten
Haslemere Lane, Umwinsidale
Photo: Bart Wursten
Crocodile Farm, Kariba
Photo: Bart Wursten
Crocodile Farm, Kariba
Photo: Bart Wursten
Crocodile Farm, Kariba
Photo: Bart Wursten
Crocodile Farm, Kariba
Photo: Bart Wursten
Crocodile Farm, Kariba
Photo: Bart Wursten
Katima Mulilo area, near APL power plant
Photo: Bart Wursten
Katima Mulilo area, near APL power plant
Photo: Bart Wursten
Katima Mulilo area, near APL power plant
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Species details: Click on each item to see an explanation of that item (Note: opens a new window)
| Synonyms: |
Hedysarum tortuosum Sw. Meibomia tortuosa (Sw.) Kuntze |
| Common names: | Florida beggar weed (English) |
| Frequency: | |
| Status: | Introduced |
| Description: |
Erect perennial herb or subshrub, up to 1.5 m. A native of tropical America, it is widespread in the tropical world, where it is cultivated as a nitrogen-enricher. Leaves 3-foliolate with small hairs on both surfaces and longer hairs on the veins below. Inflorescences terminal and axillary, up to 30 cm long. Flowers blue-mauve or pink, occasionally blue-green. Pods up to 3.2 cm, glandular hairy, often twisted at the constrictions between the articles. |
| Type location: |
Jamaica |
| Notes: | |
| Derivation of specific name: | tortuosum: much twisted, referring to the pods |
| Habitat: | A weed of roadsides, railways and cultivated land, also in Brachystegia woodland and wooded grassland. |
| Altitude range: (metres) | |
| Flowering time: | |
| Worldwide distribution: | Native of tropical America but widely cultivated as a nitrogen-enricher and hence naturalised. |
| Growth form(s): | |
| Endemic status: | |
| Red data list status: | |
| Insects associated with this species: | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Literature: |
Drummond, R.B. (1972). A list of Rhodesian Legumes. Kirkia 8(2) Page 219. Fischer, E. & Killmann, D. (2008). Illustrated Field guide to the Plants of Nyungwe National Park Rwanda. University of Koblenz-Landau. Page 508. (Includes a picture). Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 47. Ntore, S. & al. (2024). Checklist of the vascular plants of Burundi Page 120. Troupin, G. (1983). Fabaceae (Papilionaceae) Flore du Rwanda Spermatophytes Volume II Pages 69 - 70. (Includes a picture). Verdcourt, B. (2000). Papilionoideae Flora Zambesiaca 3(6) Pages 11 - 12. |
Other sources of information about Desmodium tortuosum:
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Flora of Caprivi: Desmodium tortuosumFlora of the DRC: Desmodium tortuosum
Flora of Malawi: Desmodium tortuosum
Flora of Mozambique: Desmodium tortuosum
Flora of Rwanda: Desmodium tortuosum
Flora of Zambia: Desmodium tortuosum
Flora of Zimbabwe: Desmodium tortuosum
External websites:
African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Desmodium tortuosumAfrican Plant Database: Desmodium tortuosum
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Desmodium tortuosum
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Desmodium tortuosum
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Desmodium tortuosum
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Desmodium tortuosum
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Desmodium tortuosum
JSTOR Plant Science: Desmodium tortuosum
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Desmodium tortuosum
Plants of the World Online: Desmodium tortuosum
Tropicos: Desmodium tortuosum
Wikipedia: Desmodium tortuosum