PINK 



TICK-TREFOIL. 



Desmodium nudijlorum. Pulse Family. 



Scape. — About two feet long. Leaves. — Divided into three broad leaf- 

 lets; crowded at the summit of the flowerless stems. Flowers. — Papiliona- 

 ceous ; purplish-pink ; small ; growing in an elongated raceme on a mostly 

 leafless scape. 



This is a smaller, less noticeable plant than D. Canadense. 

 It flourishes abundantly in dry woods, where it often takes pos- 

 session in late summer to the exclusion of nearly all other flowers. 



TICK-TREFOIL. 



[PI. CXIII 

 Desmodium Canadense. Pulse Family. 



Stem. — Hairy ; three to six feet high. Leaves. — Divided into three 

 somewhat oblong leaflets. Flowers. — Papilionaceous; dull purplish-pink; 

 growing in densely flowered racemes. Pod. — Flat; deeply lobed on the 

 lower margin ; from one to three inches long ; roughened with minute 

 hooked hairs by means of which it adheres to animals and clothing. 



Great masses of color are made by these flowers in the bogs 

 and rich woods of midsummer. They are effective when seen 

 in the distance, but rather disappointing on closer examination, 

 and will hardly bear gathering or transportation. They are by 

 far the largest and most showy of the genus. 



The flowers of D. acuminatum grow in an elongated raceme 

 from a stem about whose summit the leaves, divided into very 

 large leaflets, are crowded ; otherwise it resembles D. 7iudiflormn. 



D. Dillenii grows to a height of from two to five feet, with 

 erect leafy stems and medium-sized flowers. It is found com- 

 monly in open woods. 



Many of us who do not know these plants by name have 

 uttered various imprecations against their roughened pods. 

 Thoreau writes: ''Though you were running for your life, they 

 would have time to catch and cling to your clothes. . . . 

 These almost invisible nets, as it were, are spread for us, and 

 whole coveys of desmodium and bidens seeds steal transporta- 



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