Top native Desmodieae
38 species, native to the US, ranked by caterpillars, then bees and other hosts, food, flowers and shelter.
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Perplexed Tick-trefoil
Desmodium perplexum
caterpillars
20
hosts
2
food
3
flowers
4
-
Panicled Ticktrefoil
Desmodium paniculatum
caterpillars
19
hosts
2
food
4
flowers
31
-
Maryland Tick-trefoil
Desmodium marilandicum
caterpillars
19
hosts
2
food
3
flowers
21
-
Hoary Tick-trefoil
Desmodium canescens
caterpillars
19
hosts
2
food
3
flowers
20
-
Tall Tick-trefoil
Desmodium glabellum
caterpillars
19
hosts
2
food
3
flowers
6
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Little-leaf Tick-clover
Desmodium ciliare
caterpillars
19
hosts
2
food
3
flowers
4
-
Velvetleaf Ticktrefoil
Desmodium viridiflorum
caterpillars
19
hosts
2
food
3
flowers
4
-
Smooth Ticktrefoil
Desmodium laevigatum
caterpillars
19
hosts
2
food
3
flowers
4
-
Round-leaved Trailing Tick-trefoil
Desmodium rotundifolium
caterpillars
18
hosts
2
food
3
flowers
8
-
Pine Barren Ticktrefoil
Desmodium strictum
caterpillars
18
hosts
2
food
3
flowers
4
-
Stiff Ticktrefoil
Desmodium obtusum
caterpillars
18
hosts
2
food
3
flowers
4
-
Sand Ticktrefoil
Desmodium lineatum
caterpillars
18
hosts
2
food
2
flowers
3
-
Slimleaf Ticktrefoil
Desmodium tenuifolium
caterpillars
18
hosts
1
food
2
flowers
3
-
Hairy Lespedeza
Lespedeza hirta
caterpillars
18
food
6
flowers
15
-
Sessileleaf Ticktrefoil
Desmodium sessilifolium
caterpillars
17
hosts
2
food
3
flowers
22
-
Nuttall's Ticktrefoil
Desmodium nuttallii
caterpillars
17
hosts
2
food
3
flowers
4
-
Toothed Tick-trefoil
Desmodium cuspidatum
caterpillars
16
hosts
2
food
3
flowers
19
-
Round-headed Bush Clover
Lespedeza capitata
caterpillars
16
food
6
flowers
46
-
Showy Tick-trefoil
Desmodium canadense
caterpillars
15
hosts
2
food
3
flowers
38
-
Slender Bush Clover
Lespedeza virginica
caterpillars
15
hosts
1
food
5
flowers
37
-
Florida Ticktrefoil
Desmodium floridanum
caterpillars
15
hosts
1
food
2
flowers
3
-
Trailing Lespedeza
Lespedeza procumbens
caterpillars
15
food
6
flowers
31
-
Narrow-leaved Bush Clover
Lespedeza angustifolia
caterpillars
15
food
6
flowers
5
-
Violet Bush Clover
Lespedeza violacea
caterpillars
15
food
5
flowers
7
-
Tall Bush-clover
Lespedeza stuevei
caterpillars
15
food
5
flowers
6
-
Creeping Lespedeza
Lespedeza repens
caterpillars
15
food
5
flowers
5
-
Fernald's Ticktrefoil
Desmodium fernaldii
caterpillars
14
hosts
1
food
2
flowers
3
-
Violet Bush Clover
Lespedeza frutescens
caterpillars
14
food
5
flowers
5
-
Florida Beggarweed
Desmodium tortuosum
caterpillars
13
hosts
1
food
1
flowers
2
-
Illinois Tick-trefoil
Desmodium illinoense
caterpillars
10
hosts
2
food
3
flowers
27
-
Cream Tick-trefoil
Desmodium ochroleucum
caterpillars
10
hosts
2
food
1
flowers
3
-
Texas Bush-clover
Lespedeza texana
caterpillars
9
food
5
flowers
4
-
Prairie Lespedeza
Lespedeza leptostachya
caterpillars
7
food
4
flowers
4
-
Santa Rita Mountain Tick-Trefoil
Desmodium retinens
caterpillars
5
food
1
-
Naked-flowered Tick-trefoil
Hylodesmum nudiflorum
caterpillars
2
-
Greenleaf Ticktrefoil
Desmodium intortum
caterpillars
2
-
Pointed-leaved Tick-trefoil
Hylodesmum glutinosum
flowers
5
-
Few-flowered Tick-trefoil
Hylodesmum pauciflorum