Desmodium canadense (Showy Tick-Trefoil)

The showiest of the native tick-trefoils, this nitrogen-fixing legume delivers a genuinely long-lasting pink-purple bloom display that draws long-tongued bees and serves as a confirmed larval host for two named butterfly species - though its high palatability to deer means it needs some protection in browse-heavy sites.

Species Overview

Desmodium canadense, or Showy Tick Trefoil, is a perennial legume native to North American prairies and open woodlands. This plant grows 2 to 6 feet tall, with compound leaves and showy clusters of pink to purple pea-like flowers blooming in mid-summer. The flowers attract numerous pollinators, including bees and butterflies, while the plant enriches soil by fixing nitrogen.

Application

• Prairie restoration and pollinator meadow plantings
• Erosion control projects, given its adaptable, spreading habit
• Larval host habitat for Eastern Tailed Blue and Gray Hairstreak butterflies
• Nitrogen-fixing component in restoration seed mixes
• Wildlife food plots - highly palatable to deer, rabbits, and gamebirds

Growing Conditions / Specification Data

• Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
• Soil/Moisture Tolerance: Moderately rich, well-drained to slightly damp soils; tolerates clay
• Growth Rate: Rapid
• Plant Type: Forb
• Mature Height: 4-8 ft. (existing records show a wider 2-6 ft. range; see flags)
• Fall Color: Insignificant/None
• Bloom Color / Period: Pink, Purple; July-September
• Native Range: Quebec and Nova Scotia west to Alberta, south to Virginia, West Virginia, Missouri, and Oklahoma
• Hydrology: Mesic-Moist
• Root Depth: Moderate (12-24 in.)
• Salinity Tolerance: Low
• Drought Tolerance: Moderate
• Flood Tolerance: Moderate - A moist meadow and prairie species tolerant of periodically wet soil.
• Shade Tolerance: Intermediate
• Growth Habit: Upright
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-8
• Deer Resistance: No (Frequently Damaged)
• Pollinator Value: Larval host, supports bees, supports butterflies

Planting Guidance

• Deep taproot makes this species drought resistant but difficult to transplant once established - site permanently from the start.