threeflower ticktrefoil
Desmodium triflorum · Fabaceae
threeflower ticktrefoil (Desmodium triflorum) is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Fabaceae family. It is introduced to North America rather than native. USDA records it as hardy in zone 8 and warmer, down to about 16°F.
At a glance
| Type | forb-herb USDA |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | introduced USDA |
| Mature height | 1 ft USDA |
| Light | part-shade USDA |
| Soil pH | 5–6 USDA |
| Flower color | Purple USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 8 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | ground-cover Derived |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It grows in partial shade. It is recorded on soils from pH 5 to 6 — acidic ground. Its cold limit is zone 8; USDA publishes no warm-end limit, so gardeners in warmer zones should check local heat tolerance separately.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 1 ft, making it a low, mat-forming plant.
Role in a guild
Ground cover. In a layered planting this is the lowest layer — it shades soil, holds moisture, and suppresses weeds. We derive the layer from the plant's growth habit and mature height using a fixed rule, so the same inputs always produce the same layer.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Desmodium
- variable-leaf ticktrefoil Desmodium heterophyllum
- greenleaf ticktrefoil Desmodium intortum
- zarzabacoa comun Desmodium incanum
- panicledleaf ticktrefoil Desmodium paniculatum
Similar role and hardiness
- rhizoma peanut Arachis hagenbeckii
- pitted beardgrass Bothriochloa pertusa
- California oatgrass Danthonia californica
- Kleberg's bluestem Dichanthium annulatum
- centipede grass Eremochloa ophiuroides
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol DETR4, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
duration— quoted from USDA PLANTSedible— quoted from USDA PLANTSflower_color— quoted from USDA PLANTSgrowth_habit— quoted from USDA PLANTSguild_role— derived by rule from USDA columnsmature_height_ft— quoted from USDA PLANTSnative_status— quoted from USDA PLANTSnitrogen_fixer— quoted from USDA PLANTSpet_safe— quoted from USDA PLANTSph_max— quoted from USDA PLANTSph_min— quoted from USDA PLANTSshade_tolerance— quoted from USDA PLANTStemperature_min_f— quoted from USDA PLANTSzone_min— quoted from USDA PLANTS
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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