Desmodium intortum

Desmodium intortum
Flowerhead
In Hawaii
Scientific 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 (Mill.) Urb.[1]
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, 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 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

1. Symb. Antill. 8: 292 (1920)
2. "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.