As recorded for Dixie Tick Trefoil
Desmodium tortuosum
Dixie Tick Trefoil
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu & more
- Flowering
- April-October
Ecology & growing context
- Native status · Kew WCVP
- WCVP records it as introduced in India Kew dataset ↗
Kew WCVP dataset; accepted-name match. Dataset matching is separate from an individual regional review. Recorded worldwide native range: Mexico to Trop. America.
- Recorded habitat
- Wastelands
- Explore nearby plants
- Kerala →Maharashtra →Tamil Nadu →
Occurrence records show where a plant has been recorded; they do not establish that it is native there. Compare local habitat and growing conditions when choosing plants for a garden.
How to identify Dixie Tick Trefoil
Identify Dixie Tick Trefoil by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a herb habit.
- Confirm leaf type: Trifoliate (three leaflets).
- Confirm leaf surface: Pubescent (softly hairy).
- Confirm flower colour: Purple.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: April-October.
- In India, compare location records such as Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Fabaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Dixie Tick Trefoil.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Desmodium tortuosum
- Genus
- Desmodium
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Wastelands
- Habitat type
- Wasteland
- Native to
- Tropical America
- Distribution
- India, Malesia
- Found in India
- Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, West Bengal
- Flowering & fruiting
- April-October
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf type
- Trifoliate (three leaflets)recorded
- Leaf surface
- Pubescent (softly hairy)recorded
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Dixie Tick Trefoil itself; the rest are typical of the Fabaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- PurplerecordedPurple or violet
Typical of the family
- Inflorescence
- Raceme
- Fruit
- Legume
Characters marked “recorded” are for Dixie Tick Trefoil itself; the rest are typical of the Fabaceae family — flowering plants only.
About Dixie Tick Trefoil
Dixie Tick Trefoil (Desmodium tortuosum) is a herb in the Fabaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and 2 other states. It grows in wastelands. Flowering and fruiting run from April to October.
Fabaceae
Legume/Bean family
Dixie Tick Trefoil belongs to the Fabaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Fabaceae familySnap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Dixie Tick Trefoil or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.
Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
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