Naked Tick-trefoil
Hylodesmum nudiflorum
Found in moist to dry forests. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you
Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 100%
- Height
- 1 foot–3 feet 4 inches
- Light
- Dappled sunlight, Partial shade
- Soil moisture
- Usually moist
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Perennial
- Leaves
- Deciduous
- Bloom
- Summer
- Fruiting season
- August to October
Not yet recorded · Spread
Recorded in 40 Alabama counties.
Natural habitats
Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
Forests on moist but not wet ground, such as rich slopes and ravines.
Forests and open woodlands on dry ridges and slopes, often oak or pine.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Alabama. Shared habitat, not food. 108 animals.
- Yellow-rumped WarblerDendroica coronata
- Acadian FlycatcherEmpidonax virescens
- American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos
- American WoodcockScolopax minor
- Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus
- Baltimore OrioleIcterus galbula
- Barred OwlStrix varia
- Broad-winged HawkButeo platypterus
- Carolina ChickadeePoecile carolinensis
- Carolina WrenThryothorus ludovicianus
- Chuck-will's-widowCaprimulgus carolinensis
- Common GrackleQuiscalus quiscula
- Dark-eyed JuncoJunco hyemalis
- Eastern BluebirdSialia sialis
- Eastern Screech-owlMegascops asio
- Eastern TowheePipilo erythrophthalmus
- Eastern Wood-peweeContopus virens
- Gray CatbirdDumetella carolinensis
- Great Crested FlycatcherMyiarchus crinitus
- Hooded WarblerWilsonia citrina
- Least FlycatcherEmpidonax minimus
- Lincoln's SparrowMelospiza lincolnii
- Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatus
- Red-headed WoodpeckerMelanerpes erythrocephalus
Who uses this plant?
26CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL
Genus host records with ranges including AL · Desmodium
- Aristotelia roseosuffusellaPink-Washed Aristotelia
- Brenthia pavonacellaPeacock Brenthia Moth
- Caloptilia violacellaTick-Trefoil Caloptilia
- Cecropterus bathyllusSouthern Cloudywing
- Cecropterus dorantesDorantes Longtail, Lilac-Banded Longtail
- Cecropterus lyciadesHoary Edge
- Cecropterus pyladesNorthern Cloudywing
- Chloridea virescensTobacco Budworm Moth
- Coelostathma discopunctanaThe Batman Moth
- Cupido comyntasEastern Tailed-Blue
Show all 26
- Dasylophia anguinaBlack-Spotted Prominent
- Epargyreus clarusSilver-Spotted Skipper
- Eurema dairaBarred Yellow, Barred Sulphur
- Exelastis pumilioDwarf Plume Moth
- Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
- Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
- Omiodes indicataBean-Leaf Webworm Moth
- Orphanostigma haemorrhoidalisLantana Leaftier
- Pyrrhia ciliscaAmerican Bordered Sallow, Noble Sun Moth
- Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
- Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
- Stenoptilodes taprobanesNarrow Plume Moth
- Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
- Triclonella pergandeellaSweetclover Root Borer, Bush-Clover Triclonella
- Urbanus proteusLong-Tailed Skipper, Bean Leaf Roller
- Porphyrosela desmodiella
15BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Desmodium
Individual names are not available yet.
Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
3BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Desmodium
- Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
- Colinus virginianusNorthern Bobwhite
- Cyrtonyx montezumaeMontezuma Quail
Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Plant details
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 4a–8b
- Soil pH
- Neutral
- Flower color
- Pink or purple
- Fruit begins
- August
- Fruit ends
- October
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “Summer” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Flower color · “Pink or purple” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Fruit begins · “August” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- Fruit ends · “October” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- Hardiness · “Zones 4a–8b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “1 foot–3 feet 4 inches” · Minnesota Wildflowers
- Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “Dappled sunlight (shade through upper canopy all day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil · “Good drainage; Moist” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; NC Extension Plant Toolbox differs)
- Soil pH · “Neutral” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
Desmodium nudiflorum; Naked Tick Trefoil; tick trefoil; tick-trefoil
Conservation status
| Alabama rank | SNR |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| AL status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Sources
- Alabama Plant Atlas
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025)
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications