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Desmodium incanum

Ngātoro (MK)

Spanish Clover

Multimedia & Additional Resources

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Spanish Clover, Kaimi Clover, Creeping Beggarweed

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Piripiri (AT AK), Ngātoro (MK)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Florida - Texas - Uruguay - Argentina; EXOTIC EXOTIC tropical Pacific (incl. Vanuatu - Societies, Hawai‘i)

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; S.Group widespread and common; N.Group ?; Land, lowlands - mountains (++++)

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Manure; Weed - serious

SIMILAR SPECIES: Silverleaf Desmodium (Desmodium uncinatum) has leaflets ovate long-tapering to sharp tip (vs. abrupt-tapering to sharp tip).

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: Present
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
++++	+++	++++	+++	++	+++	-	-	-

Northern Group: -
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
P?	-	-	-	-	-

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Desmodium incanum DC.
SYNONYMS: Desmodium canum [illegal name]; Hedysarum incanum

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ROSIDAE; Fabales (Legumes); FABACEAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Manure
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Weed - serious. Comments: A very widespread, strong-stemmed, creeping weed. The small burrs attached to clothes. A very persistent and difficult to control weed of gardens and horticultural plots.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.667 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.451 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.3/191 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.390f Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM03a

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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