Infrequent to very local in dry, sandy or gravelly soil in open, black and white oak woods. This species and the preceding two [Desmodium marilandicum and D. rigidum] have the same habitat and are often associated.

Stems erect, to 12 dm, usually simple to the infl, densely uncinate-puberulent, and with a few long hairs near the nodes; stipules narrow, 2-5 mm, caducous, petioles much shorter than the lateral lfls; lfls oblong to ovate, firm, scaberulous above, minutely villous and strongly reticulate beneath, the terminal one 2.5-7 cm; fls 4-6 mm, on pedicels 6-17 mm; cal 2.5-3 mm; stipe 1.5-3 mm; articles 1-3, obliquely obovate, 3.5-5.5 mm, the lower margin gradually curved. Dry woods and thickets; Mass. to s. Mich. and Ind., s. to Fla., La., and Tex. July, Aug. (?D. obtusum)

Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

©The New York Botanical Garden. All rights reserved. Used by permission.