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Desmodium canadense

Showy Tick Trefoil (Canada Tick Trefoil, Beggars Lice, Stick Tights)

A tall, bushy plant with sweet pea-like, pink and violet flowers at the tops of the stems. Velvety hairs cover the stems and the lobed, compound leaves.

  • »  Spikes of pink to lavender sweet-pea-like flower clusters
  • »  Velvety hairs cover the stems and the tri-lobed compound leaves
  • »  This drought-tolerant plant can be grown on rooftops with as little as 15 cm of growing medium
  • »  Part of the pea or legume family, fixing nitrogen from the air
  • »  Bloom Time: Midsummer to early fall

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  • Category:Perennials
  • Hardiness Zone:4
  • Height:100-150 cm
  • Spread:50-60 cm
  • Bloom Color: Pink
Exposure
• Full Sun
Soil Moisture
• Average to Dry Soils
• Well-drained
Attracts Wildlife
• Attracts Butterflies
• Attracts Hummingbirds
Growth Rate
• Fast
Attributes
• Native to Ontario
• Drought Tolerant
Flowering Time
• Summer
• Lt. Sum-Fall
Habit
• Clumping
Foliage Color
• Green
Landscape uses
• Naturalizing
• Roadside planting
• Rooftop (extensive)
Planting instructions
• Container Plants
Additional Information about Desmodium canadense

Native to Ontario

When potential pollinators land on a flower, the petals close on the insect. The flower shoots pollen over the pollinator's body to ensure pollination of the next flower visited. 

Seeds are held in hairy pods and dispersed by sticking to animals' fur and hikers' clothing.

Growing & Maintenance Tips for Desmodium canadense

Grows in a well-drained soil, in full sun. Highly adaptable and may take over small gardens. Naturally found in open woods, rocky or sandy prairies, roadsides, along railroads and waste places. Established plants are very drought-tolerant due to their deep taproots.