Desmodium intortum, known as greenleaf desmodium and also as beggarlice along with other members of its genus, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Desmodium, native to Mexico, Central America, northern South America, the Galápagos, Haiti and Jamaica. A nitrogen-fixing fodder crop, it has been introduced to the rest of the world's tropics, including Africa, India, Australia, New Guinea and Taiwan[2]

Desmodium intortum
Flowerhead
In Hawaii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Desmodium
Species:
D. intortum
Binomial name
Desmodium intortum
Synonyms[2]
List
    • Desmodium adhaesivum Schltdl.
    • Desmodium aparines (Link) DC.
    • Desmodium intortum var. apiculatum B.G.Schub.
    • Desmodium nantouensis Y.C.Liu & F.Y.Lu
    • Desmodium sonorae A.Gray
    • Desmodium trigonum (Sw.) DC.
    • Hedysarum aparines Link
    • Hedysarum intortum Mill.
    • Hedysarum trigonum Sw.
    • Meibomia adhaesiva (Schltdl.) Kuntze
    • Meibomia aparines (Link) Schindl.
    • Meibomia balaensis Schindl.
    • Meibomia intorta (Mill.) S.F.Blake
    • Meibomia sonorae (A.Gray) Kuntze
    • Meibomia trigona Gandara

Desmodium intortum is used in push–pull agricultural pest management since it contains potent secondary metabolites that are released into the soil and aerially. Inter-cropped in maize and sorghum fields, it repels Chilo partellus, a stem-boring grass moth, and suppresses witchweeds, including Asiatic witchweed (Striga asiatica) and purple witchweed (S. hermonthica).[3]

References

edit
  1. ^ Symb. Antill. 8: 292 (1920)
  2. ^ a b "Desmodium intortum L." Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  3. ^ "The Plant Encyclopedia - Desmodium". The Plant Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17 January 2014.