tick trefoil

tick trefoil

n. Any of various plants of the genus Desmodium of the pea family, having compound leaves, small purplish or white flowers, and pods that break into one-seeded segments usually covered with hooked hairs.

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[From tick (from the way its pods adhere to animals).]

tick trefoil

n (Plants) any of various tropical and subtropical leguminous plants of the genus Desmodium, having trifoliate leaves, clusters of small purplish or white flowers, and sticky jointed seed pods, which separate into segments that cling to animals. Also called: beggar-ticks

tick′ tre′foil

n. any plant of the genus Desmodium, of the legume family, having jointed pods with hooked hairs. [1855–60, Amer.]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

tick trefoil - any of various tropical and subtropical plants having trifoliate leaves and rough sticky pod sections or lomentsbeggar lice, beggar's liceDesmodium, genus Desmodium - beggarweed; tick trefoilbeggarweed, Desmodium purpureum, Desmodium tortuosum - West Indian forage plant cultivated in southern United States as forage and to improve soilsubshrub, suffrutex - low-growing woody shrub or perennial with woody base