Taxon: Desmodium incanum (Sw.) DC.

Summary

Genus:

Desmodium

Family:

Fabaceae (alt. Leguminosae)

Subfamily:

Faboideae

Tribe:

Desmodieae

Subtribe:

Desmodiinae

Nomen number:

13642

Place of publication:

Prodr. 2:332. 1825, nom. cons.

Protologue link:

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/153638

Comment:

the basionym Hedysarum incanum Sw. is conserved (nom. cons., Shenzhen ICN Art. 14.10 & App. IV) over the earlier homonym (Shenzhen ICN Art. 53) Hedysarum incanum Thunb., nom. rej. to establish priority of this name back to 1788

Verified:

07/05/2018 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

58 (38 active, 37 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Basionym
Hedysarum incanum Sw.

Homotypic Synonym(s)
Aeschynomene incana (Sw.) G. Mey.
Meibomia supina Britton

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Desmodium canum (J. F. Gmel.) Schinz & Thell.
Desmodium frutescens Schindl.
Desmodium mauritianum (Willd.) DC.
Desmodium supinum DC.
Hedysarum canum J. F. Gmel.
Hedysarum mauritanicum Willd.
Hedysarum supinum Sw.
Meibomia cana (J. F. Gmel.) S. F. Blake
Meibomia mauritiana (Willd.) Kuntze

Images (1 total. Click on image for more.)

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource).
Applequist, W. L. 2013. Report of the Nomenclature Committee for Vascular Plants: 65. Taxon 62:1320. Note: proposal recommended
Bernal, R., S. R. Gradstein & M. Celis. 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia.
Burkart, A. E., ed. 1969-. Flora ilustrada de Entre Rios.
Correll, D. S. & H. B. Correll. 1982. Flora of the Bahama archipelago. Note: = Desmodium canum (J. F. Gmel.) Schinz & Thell.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource). Note: accessed September 2022
Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
Lewis, G. P. & P. E. Owen. 1989. Legumes of the Ilha de Maraca
Lima, L. C. P. et al. 2012. (2089) Proposal to conserve the name Hedysarum incanum Sw. against H. incanum Thunb. (Leguminosae). Taxon 61:1122-1123.
Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
Long, R. W. & O. Lakela. 1971. A flora of tropical Florida. Note: = Desmodium canum (J. F. Gmel.) Schinz & Thell.
Macbride, J. F. et al., eds. 1936-. Flora of Peru Note: = Desmodium canum (J. F. Gmel.) Schinz & Thell.
McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
Midega, C. A. O. et al. 2017. Drought-tolerant Desmodium species effectively suppress parasitic striga weed and improve cereal grain yields in western Kenya. Crop Protect. 98:94-101. DOI: 10.1016/j.cropro.2017.03.018. Note: this study tested 10 Desmodium species, D. incanum was shown to be a potential source for control of Striga hermonthica
Nicolson, D. H. 1978. Illegitimate "basionyms," impact on priority and author citation or, the rise of Desmodium incanum and fall of D. canum (Fabaceae). Taxon 27:369.
Ohashi, H. 1988. Desmodium (Leguminosae) of the Hawaiian islands. Sci. Rep. Tohoku Imp. Univ., Ser. 4, Biol. 39:178.
Oliveira, M. de L. A. A. de. 1983. Estudo taxonômico do gênero Desmodium Desv. (Leguminosae, Faboideae, Desmodieae). Iheringia, Bot. 31:62.
Radford, A. E. et al., eds. 1980-. Vascular flora of the southeastern United States. Note: introduced in United States
Schrire, B. D. 1988. A synopsis of the tribe Desmodieae (Fabaceae) in southern Africa. Bothalia 18:14.
Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1946-1976. Flora of Guatemala. Note: = Desmodium canum (J. F. Gmel.) Schinz & Thell.
't Mannetje, L. & R. M. Jones, eds. 1992. Forages. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 4:112-114.
Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa. Note: = Desmodium canum (J. F. Gmel.) Schinz & Thell.
Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:743.
Wilson, K. L. 2016. Report of the General Committee: 14. Taxon 65:878. Note: proposal recommended
Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama.

Common names

Language	Name	seq	Citation
English	kaimi-clover	1	Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Portuguese (Brazil)	amor-de-campo	2	Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Portuguese (Brazil)	carrapicho-beiço-de-boi	2	Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Portuguese (Brazil)	pega-pega	2	Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Chihuahua		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:743.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Nuevo León		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:743.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	San Luis Potosí		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:743.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Sinaloa		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:743.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Tamaulipas		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:743.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Zacatecas		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:743.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Campeche		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:743.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Chiapas		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:743.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Colima		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:743.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Guerrero		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:743.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Hidalgo		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:743.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Jalisco		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:743.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Nayarit		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:743.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Oaxaca		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:743.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Querétaro		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:743.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Quintana Roo		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:743.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Tabasco		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:743.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:743.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Yucatán		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:743.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Antigua and Barbuda			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Bahamas			Correll, D. S. & H. B. Correll. 1982. Flora of the Bahama archipelago. Note: = Desmodium canum (J. F. Gmel.) Schinz & Thell.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Barbados			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Cuba			Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource).
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Dominica			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Guadeloupe			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Hispaniola			Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource).
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Jamaica			Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource).
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Martinique			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Montserrat			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	St. Kitts and Nevis			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	St. Lucia			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	St. Vincent and Grenadines			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	United States	Puerto Rico		Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource).
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Virgin Islands (British)			Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource).
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Belize
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Costa Rica
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	El Salvador
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Honduras
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Nicaragua
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Panama			Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	French Guiana
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Guyana
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Suriname
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Venezuela
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Argentina
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Paraguay
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Bolivia
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Colombia			Bernal, R., S. R. Gradstein & M. Celis. 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia.
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Ecuador
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Peru
4	Naturalized					widely natzd. in paleotropics
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil			Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource). Note: accessed September 2022

Native
Northern America

NORTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Chihuahua, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas]
SOUTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Campeche, Chiapas, Colima, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, Yucatán]

Southern America

CARIBBEAN: Hispaniola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Montserrat, Martinique, United States [Puerto Rico], St. Vincent and Grenadines, Virgin Islands (British)
CENTRAL AMERICA: Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador
NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela
WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina, Paraguay

Naturalized

REGION:

Southern America

BRAZIL: Brazil

Reference(s)

Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource).
Bernal, R., S. R. Gradstein & M. Celis. 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia.
Correll, D. S. & H. B. Correll. 1982. Flora of the Bahama archipelago. Note: = Desmodium canum (J. F. Gmel.) Schinz & Thell.
Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource). Note: accessed September 2022
Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:743.
Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama.

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Animal food	forage	potential	't Mannetje, L. & R. M. Jones, eds. 1992. Forages. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 4:112-114.
Animal food	forage	potential for drought stressed areas	Midega, C. A. O. et al. 2017. Drought-tolerant Desmodium species effectively suppress parasitic striga weed and improve cereal grain yields in western Kenya. Crop Protect. 98:94-101. DOI: 10.1016/j.cropro.2017.03.018. Note: this study tested 10 Desmodium species, D. incanum was shown to be a potential source for control of Striga hermonthica
Environmental	parasite host control	potential	Midega, C. A. O. et al. 2017. Drought-tolerant Desmodium species effectively suppress parasitic striga weed and improve cereal grain yields in western Kenya. Crop Protect. 98:94-101. DOI: 10.1016/j.cropro.2017.03.018. Note: this study tested 10 Desmodium species, D. incanum was shown to be a potential source for control of Striga hermonthica
Weed			Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1946-1976. Flora of Guatemala. Note: = Desmodium canum (J. F. Gmel.) Schinz & Thell.

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=13642. Accessed 15 April 2026.