Hairy Trefoil

Family: Fabaceae
Scientific name: Desmodium rhytidophyllum
Description: Plant Form Perennial ground-herb or trailing shrub Size Up to 1 m long or tall Stem With dense rusty hairs Leaves Growing alternately up stems from hairy 0.7-3.5 cm long stems, each forming three leaflets which can be very broad or more narrow, leaflet surfaces with fine adpressed hairs Flowers Around 30 purple or pink pea-flowers grow on hairy 8-25 cm long flower spikes, Fruit and Seeds Seed pod with hooked hairs, 2-4 cm long with 5-8 segments Habitat Dry sclerophyll forest Distinguishing Features This species is a native lookalike for invasive species Desmodium incanum and Desmodium uncinatum which both have a silver stripe in the middle of their leaflets. Weed Status: Non-weedy native lookalike Weed Type: Lifeform: Herbaceous, Shrubby

Example images for this weed