Desmodium canadense
Desmodium canadense | showy tick trefoil
An extremely showy wildflower, Desmodium canadense is at home on stream banks, moist roadsides, and in meadow gardens. A member of the pea family (Fabaceae), showy tick trefoil hosts nitrogen-fixing bacteria on its roots and produces the characteristic pea family flowers in bright pink or rose purple. Its hairy seeds are “hitchhikers”, attaching by sticky hairs to animal or human passers-by, so we recommend using this plant away from walkways and paths. Blooms in summer creating a stunning focal point, either as a specimen or group planting.
Deep QT. pot
Desmodium canadense | showy tick trefoil
An extremely showy wildflower, Desmodium canadense is at home on stream banks, moist roadsides, and in meadow gardens. A member of the pea family (Fabaceae), showy tick trefoil hosts nitrogen-fixing bacteria on its roots and produces the characteristic pea family flowers in bright pink or rose purple. Its hairy seeds are “hitchhikers”, attaching by sticky hairs to animal or human passers-by, so we recommend using this plant away from walkways and paths. Blooms in summer creating a stunning focal point, either as a specimen or group planting.
Deep QT. pot
Desmodium canadense | showy tick trefoil
An extremely showy wildflower, Desmodium canadense is at home on stream banks, moist roadsides, and in meadow gardens. A member of the pea family (Fabaceae), showy tick trefoil hosts nitrogen-fixing bacteria on its roots and produces the characteristic pea family flowers in bright pink or rose purple. Its hairy seeds are “hitchhikers”, attaching by sticky hairs to animal or human passers-by, so we recommend using this plant away from walkways and paths. Blooms in summer creating a stunning focal point, either as a specimen or group planting.
Deep QT. pot
HABIT
Height: 4-5’
Bloom Time: mid to late summer
SITE CONDITIONS
Light: full sun, part shade
Soil: medium-wet, average, medium-dry
CULTIVATION TIPS
Establishment: easy, seeds stick to clothing; best planted away from walkways and paths
Deer Resistance: unknown
INTERACTIONS
Pollinator Support: high
Other: host plant for Eastern Tailed Blue butterfly, Gray Hairstreak butterfly, and Silver-Spotted skipper
CONSERVATION
Native Range: Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest
Seed Propagated: yes