Plant · GBIF taxon 2967060
creeping beggarweed
Desmodium incanumAlso known as Spanish Clover, Spanish Tick-trefoil, Hitchhikers, Kaimi Clover
Creeping beggarweed is a hardy perennial legume characterized by sprawling, wiry stems and small pink to reddish-purple pea-like blossoms. It forms dense ground mats that easily outcompete lawn grasses and pasture plants, fixing atmospheric nitrogen through root nodules inhabited by symbiotic bacteria. Its segmented seed pods are famously covered in microscopic hooked hairs that latch onto passing animals, human clothing, and machinery for wide-distance dispersal.
GroundcoverWildflowerNitrogen Fixer
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Sunlight
- Atmospheric nitrogen
- Soil water and minerals
Predators
- Cattle
- Long-tailed Skipper caterpillar
- Grasshoppers
ThreatsHerbicides, routine mechanical mowing, and urban development
HabitatsLawns, pastures, roadsides, disturbed soils, and open woodlands
Life spanPerennial (typically 3–5 years)
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderFabales
- FamilyFabaceae
- GenusDesmodium
- SpeciesDesmodium incanum
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Wardrobe check: Inspect socks, pants, and shoelaces after walking through patches, as pods cling tenaciously.
- Lawn management: Dig deeply to remove the tough, woody taproot if attempting to control spread in turf.
- Magnification: Use a hand lens to view the tiny hooked hairs (uncinate trichomes) covering the flat seed pods.
Host Plant (c) Brandon Gilford, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Brandon Gilford · cc-by
Pollinator Andreas Trepte / CC BY-SA 2.5 · cc-by-sa
Close Relative no rights reserved, uploaded by 葉子 · cc0
Close Relative (c) Tom Scavo, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Tom Scavo · cc-by
Help improve the field guideSomething wrong?
Checking your Fauna account…Report a name, category, or profile issue for review.