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creeping beggarweed

Desmodium incanum

Family: Fabaceae · Genus: Desmodium

Spanish clover, Spanish tick-trefoil

Placenta I Ground cover Fertilizer biomass 🌱 Nitrogen fixer
Forest & Kim Starr · CC BY · Wikimedia Commons

A perennial creeping herbaceous legume native to tropical and subtropical America (including the grasslands of southern Brazil), with an aggressive stoloniferous habit that roots at the nodes. It fixes nitrogen and is valued as ground cover, in soil conservation and in mixed pastures, withstanding heavy grazing. A good creeping cover legume for alleys. (Documented alternative: Desmodium ovalifolium, a shade-tolerant Asian cover legume; D. incanum was chosen for being native to Brazil.)

Götsch succession

Götsch stage
Placenta I
Ecological role
Pioneer
Primary stratum
Ground cover
Strata
Ground cover
Biomass class
Fertilizer biomass

Environment

Light requirement
Full sun
Water requirement
Moderate
Drought tolerance
Moderate
Waterlogging tolerance
Low
Soil pH range
4–8.5
Preferred soil texture
Sandy, Loamy, Clayey
Hardiness zones
8–12
Frost tolerance
-5.0 °C

Morphology

Mature height
0.2–0.6 m
Root system
Taproot
Root depth
Deep
Growth rate
Moderate
Time to first harvest
6 months

Biomes & climate

Köppen classes

Where it fits in a guild

Creeping beggarweed takes the Ground cover stratum in the Placenta I phase of succession — in a guild it shares the line with species from the other strata, each harvesting light at its own height, in its own time. It also fixes nitrogen, feeding the soil for its line neighbors.

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Emergent High Medium Low Ground cover · ≈1 m

🪴 Cultivation

Adapted to low-fertility soils (pH from 4) and heavy grazing, with 30-40 days rest between grazings; propagated by seed and stolons. Establishment from seed is slow, requiring weed control.

✂️ Management & Pruning

A creeping stoloniferous herb — it does not coppice; manage it by mowing or grazing, never cutting to the base. It acts as a nitrogen-fixing living cover and low chop-and-drop layer; abundant, slow-decomposing leaf fall builds a self-mulching duff layer. Very tolerant of heavy continuous grazing (among the most persistent legumes), with ~30–40 days rest between defoliations in rotation. It regrows from stolons and a deep root; it stays prostrate (<20 cm) when mown. Establishment is slow — trailing stems appear only ~6 months after sowing, in the warm wet season.

📅 Phenology

Flowering months: October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May

Fruiting months: October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May

❓ Frequently asked questions

How long until the first harvest of creeping beggarweed?

The first harvest of creeping beggarweed comes around 6 months after planting.

How tall does creeping beggarweed grow?

At maturity, creeping beggarweed reaches 0.2–0.6 m tall.

When does creeping beggarweed fruit?

Fruiting of creeping beggarweed occurs in October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May.

When does creeping beggarweed flower?

Flowering of creeping beggarweed occurs in October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May.

What stage and stratum does creeping beggarweed occupy in a syntropic system?

In a syntropic system, creeping beggarweed belongs to the placenta i stage, occupying the ground cover stratum.

Does creeping beggarweed fix nitrogen?

Yes — creeping beggarweed is a nitrogen-fixing species that helps fertilize the system's soil.

Functions

🌱 Nitrogen fixer 🌿 Biomass producer Ground cover Fodder 🐝 Attracts pollinators

Propagation

Seed, Runners / suckers

Citations

  1. Tropical Forages — Desmodium incanum (root_system, ph_min, ph_max, propagation, functions, gotsch_stage, biomes, pruning_notes, time_to_first_harvest_months, frost_tolerance_c, root_depth, phenology)
  2. Wikipedia: Desmodium incanum (scientific_name, common_names, nitrogen_fixer, primary_stratum)
  3. Useful Tropical Plants — Desmodium incanum (ph_min, ph_max, frost_tolerance_c)
  4. UFRGS Flora Campestre — Desmodium incanum (phenology)
  5. UF/IFAS — creeping beggarweed (Desmodium incanum) (root_depth, waterlogging_tolerance)

External references

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