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Floristic Inventory of the Florida Keys Database Online

Desmodium mauritianum (Willd.) DC.
Beggar’s-ticks, Zarzabacoa comun

Desmodium mauritianum
Copyright by: Shirley Denton

Family: Fabaceae

Group: Dicot

Substrate: Terrestrial

Habit: Herb

Perennation: Perennial

Native Range: Old World.

Map of select IRC data for peninsular Florida

SOUTH FLORIDA Occurrence: Present

SOUTH FLORIDA Native Status: Not Native, Naturalized

SOUTH FLORIDA Cultivated Status: Not Cultivated

Comments: Franck et al. (in prep.) have determined that most plants typically determined as Desmodium incanum in South Florida are likely Desmodium mauritianum, introduced from the Old World, a taxon that is often placed into synonymy under Desmodium incanum (see e.g. GFIF 2022). These plants grow as weeds, with elliptic leaves that are often variegated. Desmodium incanum, in the narrow sense, has been documented in the United States only in Miami-Dade County, Florida south of the Miami River, and once along the Snake Bight Trial in Everglades National Park in the southeasternmost Monroe County mainland. These plants grow in a variety of calcareous habitats, including pine rocklands, edges of rockland hammocks, marl prairies, and open coastal berms. We are currently editing data between the two species, and some records here may be reassigned to Desmodium incanum as records are reviewed.

Synonyms: Desmodium incanum of authors, not (Sw.) DC.

FLORIDA KEYS Occurrence: Present

FLORIDA KEYS Native Status: Not Native, Naturalized

Map of select IRC data for the Florida Keys

Florida Keys History and Distribution: Not reported in 1913 by John Kunkel Small. This was treated as Desmodium incanum and a native from 2001-2021, although spreading as a weed along roadsides and in other disturbed areas.

Other data on Desmodium mauritianum available from :


Desmodium mauritianum has been reported from the following 19 conservation areas in the FLORIDA KEYS :
Occurrence Native Status
Attwood Addition, Indian Key Historic State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Bahia Honda State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Biscayne National Park, Florida Keys Section Present Not Native, Naturalized
Blue Heron Hammock, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge Present Not Native, Naturalized
Curry Hammock State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammocks Botanical State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Dove Creek Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Dry Tortugas National Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge Present Not Native, Naturalized
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Little Torch Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Long Key State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Middle Torch Hammocks Parcel 3063, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
National Key Deer Refuge Present Not Native, Naturalized
Spoonbill Sound Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Sugarloaf Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized




Desmodium mauritianum has been reported for the following habitat in THE FLORIDA KEYS :
Disturbed Upland


All Images:

Desmodium mauritianum
Copyright by: Shirley Denton

Desmodium mauritianum
Copyright by: Shirley Denton

Desmodium mauritianum
Copyright by: Shirley Denton