Desmodium
Creators: name: Lima, Laura Cristina Pires
name: Queiroz, Luciano Paganucci De
name: Tozzi, Ana Maria Goulart De Azevedo
name: Lewis, Gwilym Peter
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy

description: Key to species of Desmodium occurring in Brazil   
1. Leaves subtending inflorescence unifoliolate........................................................................................................................ 2  
– Leaves subtending inflorescence trifoliolate........................................................................................................................ 12  
2. Prostrate, ascendent or decumbent subshrub, stems virgate.................................................................................................. 3  
– Erect subshrub or shrub, stems not virgate............................................................................................................................ 4  
 3. Stems tetragonal; fruit a craspedium........................................................................................................ 8. D. craspediferum   
 – Stems cylindrical; fruit a lomentum......................................................................................................... 19. D. microcarpum   
 4. Inflorescence axis shorter than the adjacent leaves...................................................................................... 16. D. juruenense   
– Inflorescence axis longer than the adjacent leaves................................................................................................................ 5  
5. Stipules persistent at the base of the inflorescence; fruit articles tortuous............................................................................. 6  
– Stipules caducous; articles not tortuous................................................................................................................................. 7  
 6. Leaflets membranaceous; articles rhombic......................................................................................... 18. D. membranifolium   
 – Leaflets chartaceous, coriaceous, subcoriaceous or papyraceous; articles ovate-elliptic or orbicular.......... 10. D. distortum   
7. Loments with orbicular articles.............................................................................................................................................. 8  
– Loments with elliptic or obovate-depressed articles............................................................................................................ 10  
 8. Flowers up to 6 mm long, corolla purple or violet, ovary glabrous or puberulous................................. 25. D. sclerophyllum   
– Flowers more than 8 mm long, corolla lilac or pinkish; ovary tomentose or velutinous....................................................... 9  
 9. Leaflets up to 1 cm wide, linear or narrowly linear; articles with conspicuous veins.............................. 22. D. polygaloides   
 – Leaflets more than 3.5 cm wide, elliptic, broadly ovate or ovate; articles with inconspicuous veins..... 13. D. guaraniticum   
 10. Leaflets ovate, broadly elliptic or orbicular, abaxial surface velutinous................................................... 4. D. arechavaletae   
– Leaflets elliptic, linearornarrowlylinear, abaxial surfacetomentoseor puberulous-uncinate...........................................11  
 11. Tertiary veins prominent on the abaxial surface of the leaflets; pedicel 7–9 mm long; fruit stipe ca. 1 mm long; articles elliptic............................................................................................................................................................... 20. D. pachyrhizum   
 – Tertiary veins flush with the abaxial surface of the leaflets; pedicel up to 4 mm long; fruit stipe more than 3 mm long; articles obovate-depressed.............................................................................................................................. 21. D. platycarpum   
 12. Terminal leaflet 3–6(– 9) mm long; inflorescesce fasciculate........................................................................ 31. D. triflorum   
 – Terminalleafletmorethan 1 cmlong (except insomespecimensof D. adscendens: 0.5–3.2 cmlong); inflorescencepseudoracemose or paniculate..................................................................................................................................................... 13   
13. Stipules partially fused to each other................................................................................................................................... 14  
– Stipules free from each other............................................................................................................................................... 15  
 14. Plant with stolons rooting at the nodes; flowers up to 3.5 mm long; fruit stipe more than 5 mm long............. 5. D. axillare   
 – Plant without stolons rooting at the nodes; flowers more than 4.5 mm long; fruit stipe up to 2 mm long......15. D. incanum   
 15. Inflorescence axis shorter than the adjacent leaves.......................................................................................... 6. D. barbatum   
– Inflorescence axis longer than the adjacent leaves.............................................................................................................. 16  
16. Loment with tortuous articles............................................................................................................................................... 17  
– Loment with articles otherwise (not tortuous)..................................................................................................................... 22  
 17. Primary bracts persistent; seeds rhombic................................................................................................... 23. D. procumbens   
– Primary bracts caducous; seeds oblong, elliptic or ovate.................................................................................................... 18  
 18. Stems sulcate; androecium diadelphous; loment with articles dimorphic....................................................... 12. D. glabrum   
– Stems not sulcate; androecium monadelphous; loment with articles uniform..................................................................... 19  
 19. Stipules not amplexicaul; ovary stipe 2–3 mm long; articles rhombic.......................................................11. D. glabrescens   
– Stipules semi-amplexicaul; ovary stipe up to 1 mm long; articles ovate-elliptic or orbicular............................................. 20  
 16 • Phytotaxa 169 (1) © 2014 Magnolia Press   
 LIMA ET AL.   
 20. Ovary tomentose; loment stipe 2–3 mm long........................................................................................................3. D. album   
– Ovary glabrous or puberulous; loment stipe up to 1 mm long............................................................................................. 21  
 21. Auriculate stipules up to 1.5 mm long; pedicel more than 7 mm long......................................................... 29. D. tortuosum   
 – Auriculate stipules more than 3 mm long; pedicel up to 5 mm long............................................................. 10. D. distortum   
22. Prostrate, ascending or decumbent (rarely erect) subshrub, stems virgate.......................................................................... 23  
– Erect shrub, stems not virgate.............................................................................................................................................. 29  
23. Leaflet venation craspedodromous...................................................................................................................................... 24  
– Leaflet venation brochidodromous or eucamptodromous.................................................................................................... 26  
 24. Stemssulcate; primarybractsmorethan 6 mm long; lomentwitharticlestriangularorsubtriangular....28. D. subsericeum   
– Stems striate; primary bracts up to 3 mm long; loment with articles oblong or obovate-depressed................................... 25  
 25. Stipules persistent; loment 5–8-articulate.............................................................................................................. 2. D. affine   
 – Stipules caducous; loment 1–3-articulate..................................................................................................34. D. wydlerianum   
26. Stipules caducous; flowers 8–12 mm long; androecium monadelphous............................................................................. 27  
– Stipules persistent; flowers 2.5–7 mm long; androecium diadelphous................................................................................ 28  
 27. Stems glabrescent or sparsely puberulous-uncinate; upper lip of calyx entire; loment 1–2-articulate.............. 24. D. riedelii   
 – Stems densely uncinate; upper lip of calyx bifid; loment 4–9-articulate......................................................32. D. uncinatum   
 28. Stipules auriculate; articles narrowly elliptic............................................................................................... 26. D. scorpiurus   
 – Stipules not auriculate; articles oblong or rhombic; seeds reniform............................................................. 1. D. adscendens   
29. Ovary puberulous or glabrous.............................................................................................................................................. 30  
– Ovary tomentose or velutinous............................................................................................................................................ 31  
 30. Vexillary stamen partially fused to the apex of the staminal tube; loment stipitate, stipe 2–3 mm long; articles orbicular............................................................................................................................................... 27. D. subsecundum   
 – Vexillary stamen partially fused to the base of the staminal tube; loment stipitate, stipe 1–2 mm long; articles ellipitic................................................................................................................................................................ 17. D. leiocarpum   
 31. Stipules auriculate; loment with articles villous...............................................................................................14. D. hassleri   
– Stipules not auriculate; loment with articles not villous...................................................................................................... 32  
 32. Stems glaucous; leaf rachis ca. 1 mm long...................................................................................................... 9. D. cuneatum   
– Stems not glaucous; leaf rachis more than 3 mm long......................................................................................................... 33  
 33. Stipules triangular; leaflets up to 2.8 cm long......................................................................................... 30. D. triarticulatum   
– Stipules ovate; leaflets more than 3.4 cm long..................................................................................................................... 34  
 34. Infloresccence axillary and/or terminal; loment with the isthmus between articles margina.................... l7. D. cajanifolium   
 – Inflorescence always terminal; loment with the isthmus between articles central or subcentral ..................... 33. D. venosum
description: Published as part of Lima, Laura Cristina Pires, Queiroz, Luciano Paganucci De, Tozzi, Ana Maria Goulart De Azevedo & Lewis, Gwilym Peter, 2014, A Taxonomic Revision of Desmodium (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae) in Brazil, pp. 1-119 in Phytotaxa 169 (1) on pages 16-17, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.169.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/10089817