Scientific Family
Fabaceae
Synonyms
Meibomia neomexicana
Other common names
tick clover
New Mexico tickclover
(Spanish: hierbita del amor)
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual
Similar species
Desmodium rosei
Height
8 inches
Riparian
No
Stems grow erect or curve upward. Stems are solid and sparsely to densely covered with curved hairs or prickles.
Fruit pods of 2 - 5 rounded segments and usually contorted unlike D. rosei. The terminal segment is often hairless and not
contorted.
Habitat
Found on grassy slopes and mesas.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Low elevation
3500
High elevation
6000
Flower Characteristics
Bracts very small or absent. Flowers are bilaterally symetrical in one plain. The calyx is 2-lipped or 2-lobed and hairy. Petals are
separate and clawed. Corolla is butterfly-like and ovoid.
Flower color
Pink to Purple
Flower shape
Irregular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
August
Last bloom month
September
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Lower leaves are often trifoliolate with leaflets that are long and narrow. The upper leaves are also longer than wide but may have only one leaflet. Leaflets are opposite.
Leaf type
Compound
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
Yes
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Fruits appear as 2 to 5 rounded segments each no more than 1/8 of an inch long. Drier pods appear contorted. The terminal segment is often hairless and not contorted. The other segments are uniformily hooked and hairless. Color from green to brown.
Fruit type
Pod
Fruit color
Brown
Seed surface is smooth. Seeds are olive, brown, or black.