Weeds of Australia - Fact Sheet

Top Scientific Name Synonyms Family Common Names Origin Naturalised Distribution Notes

Scientific Name

Desmodium uncinatum (Jacq.) DC.

Synonyms

Hedysarum uncinatum Jacq.

Family

Fabaceae (Queensland, the ACT, Victoria, Tasmania, and the Northern Territory)
Fabaceae: sub-family Faboideae (New South Wales)
Leguminosae (South Australia)
Papilionaceae (Western Australia)

Common Names

desmodium, silver leaf desmodium, silverleaf, silverleaf desmodium, silver-leaved desmodium, Spanish clover, Spanish tick-clover, Spanish tickclover, tick clover, velcro plant, velcro vine, velcro weed

Origin

Native to South America (i.e. Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, northern Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay).

Naturalised Distribution

Naturalised in many parts of eastern Australia (i.e. in south-eastern and northern Queensland and in the coastal districts of northern and central New South Wales).

Notes

Silverleaf desmodium (Desmodium uncinatum) was introduced as a fodder crop and has now become a weed of creekbanks (i.e. riparian areas), roadsides, fencelines, forest margins, disturbed sites, waste areas and plantation crops (e.g. sugarcane). It is regarded as an environmental weed in south-eastern Queensland, where it is listed among the top 100 most invasive plants species, and on the New South Wales North Coast.

Silverleaf desmodium (Desmodium uncinatum) spreads into forest margins and along creeks where it trails over shrubs and groundcovers, but it does not climb into trees. It has also been reported to ensnare and kill native wildlife (e.g. frogs, birds, lizards and microbats) that easily become stuck to its stems and fruit.