"Florida Beggarweed" (Desmodium tortuosum) is also known as "Dixie Ticktrefoil". The leaves, stems and seeds are covered in tiny hairs that catch on hair, clothing and fur. These sticky seeds are able to hitch rides on just about anything that comes into contact with the plant which helps distribute the species to far destinations. Flowers are tiny, delicate and pink and occur at the tops of plants that can be anywhere from 3 to 9 feet in height.
Florida Beggarweed is a host to the Long Tailed Skipper (Urbanus proteus) and Dorantes Skipper (Urbanus dorantes) butterflies. This species is native to the tropical Americas and West Indies, but is also naturalized in many portions of Florida.
Florida Beggarweed is a member of the Pea family (Fabaceae ) which contains 236 generra. The genus Desmodium contains 76 species of plants. The genus name Desmodium derives from the Greek meaning "long branch or chain," which probably refers to way the flowers and seedpods are attached on the end of long stems.
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