Putnam Park Wildflowers


Flower ID: IMG_4721.JPG-08-02-2020
Flower name (scientific): Hylodesmum glutinosum (Muhlenberg ex Willdenow) H. Ohashi & R. R. Mill PY: 2000. Pronunciation guide: (phonetic spelling) hy-LOW-des-mum glu-tin-OH-sum (or gloo-tin-OH-sum)
Flower name (common): Pointed-leaf Tick-trefoil
Family name (common): Pea
Family name (scientific): Fabaceae
Scientific name origin:
     Genus: The name is derived from Greek hyle meaning forest, a common habitat, and desmos meaning a chain, which refers to an abbreviated form of Desmodium (Ohashi and Mill, p. 173, 2000).
    Specific epithet: From the Latin for sticky, referencing the sticky stems.
Common name origin: From the characteristically pointed leaves, and its similarity to other tick-trefoil species.
Flower description:
     Size: 0.2 to 0.4 inches (0.5 to 1.0 cm)
     Petal count: 4
     Color: pink or less commonly white
     Other: flower arrangement, Panicle
Plant description:
     Size: 12 to 48 inches (30 to 122 cm)
     Stem hairy:
     Other:
Leaf description: attachment is alternate, type is compound
     Size: Terminal leaflet largest, up to 12 to 15 cm long and up to 9 cm wide. Lateral leaflets typically to 12 cm long and 6 cm wide.
     Color:
     Hairy:
     Other: Shape: leaf, trifoliate, leaflet, ovate to broadly ovate (IL)
Origin (native, introduced, invasive): Native
Status (common, uncommon, threatened, rare): Common
Bloom time (typical): June to August
Cycle (annual, biennial, perennial): Perennial
Habitat: Woodlands, thickets, moist to mesic, shade or part shade.
Fruit:
Seed:
Importance to wildlife:
Similar species (if any): The leaf shape with a sharply pointed tip makes this a fairly distinctive species to idenify. Hylodesmum nudiflorum (Naked-flower Tick-trefoil) has a flowering stem that is usually leafless, while Hylodesmum glutinosum has its leaves on the flowering stem.
Ethnobotany: No recorded uses by tribes from Wisconsin. The Iroquois used this plant to prepare a medicine for unspecified uses (Moerman, p. 198, 1998). Moerman uses the old synonym name Desmodium glutinosum in this reference.
Latitude: 44.794265
Longitude: -91.492662
Altitude: 252.80
Distribution: In Wisconsin: (Adams, Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Brown, Buffalo, Burnett, Calumet, Chippewa, Clark, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Door, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Fond du Lac, Forest, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Jackson, Jefferson, Juneau, Kenosha, La Crosse, Lafayette, Langlade, Manitowoc, Marathon, Marinette, Marquette, Menominee, Milwaukee, Monroe, Oconto, Oneida, Outagamie, Ozaukee, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Portage, Racine, Richland, Rock, Rusk, Sauk, Sawyer, Shawano, Sheboygan, St. Croix, Taylor, Trempealeau, Vernon, Walworth, Washburn, Washington, Waukesha, Waupaca, Waushara, Winnebago, Wood) Click here for distribution map
In US: (AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV)
In Canada: (NB, NS, ON, QC)
References:
Synonym(s):
Basionym: Hedysarum glutinosum Muhl. ex Willd. in Sp. Pl., ed. 4. 3: 1198 (1803).
Homotypic Synonym(s): Desmodium glutinosum (Muhl. ex Willd.) Alph.Wood
Heterotypic Synonym(s):
Autonym: na