Hylodesmum glutinosum aka Large Tick Trefoil

Hylodesmum glutinosum belongs to the pea family, Fabaceae. It is a perennial, so it lives for years. Sources also call it Desmodium glutinosum. It has two common names: pointed-leaved ticktrefoil and large-flower tickclover. It is native to southeastern Canada and central and eastern America. Its range reaches south into northeastern Mexico. It grows in regions with a temperate climate. In the wild, it grows in woods, thickets, and savannas. Some of these sites have rich soil and some shade.

The plant grows upright in a clump, with little spread. Plants For A Future gives a height of 3 feet [0.9 metres]. It lists the same size for the plant's mature width. That source says the plant grows fast. Its clump shape can help guide where to place it among plants. The supplied accounts give no facts about its leaf shape. They give no details of its stems or fruit, either. Pink blooms bring summer colour to spots with shade.

The two garden sources give different dates for bloom. Plants For A Future lists June through August. Chicago Botanic Garden gives May through August, a longer span. Chicago suggests its use in beds and borders. Its upright shape suits these sites in gardens with shade. It also suits planting in woods, based on its habitat. Plants For A Future describes that habitat. The plant supports insects as well as giving blooms.

Grow it in part shade and moist soil that drains well. Chicago Botanic Garden says full shade suits it, too. Plants For A Future lists part sun to medium shade. It reports some ability to cope with drier woodland soils. The plant prefers loam rich in decayed plant and animal matter. It copes with clay-loam and stony ground, too. Sources also list sand and medium-textured soils as suitable. Soil can be mildly acid, neutral, or mildly alkaline. Chicago lists USDA hardiness zones 3–9. Plants For A Future says growers can raise it from seed.

This legume fixes nitrogen and can add it to soil. Plants For A Future lists its use in food forests. It draws butterflies and shelters insects and other arthropods. Eastern tailed blue larvae use it as a host. So do silver-spotted skipper larvae. That source reports no known food or medicinal uses. It lists no known hazards and no weed potential. Those reports do not show that it is safe to eat. The supplied accounts name no specific pests or diseases.