Desmodium fernaldii

Desmodium fernaldii is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States.

Description
Desmodium fernaldii is a herbaceous perennial plant.

Taxonomy
Desmodium fernaldii was first described by the American botanist Bernice Schubert in 1950. The specific name fernaldii honors American botanist Merritt Lyndon Fernald "whose intensive work on the flora of [Virginia] has clarified many floristic problems of long standing".

Desmodium fernaldii is a member of the Desmodium paniculatum complex, a group of closely related taxa that also includes Desmodium paniculatum sensu stricto, Desmodium glabellum, and Desmodium perplexum. Alternatively, some botanists lump the taxa into a single polymorphic species, Desmodium paniculatum sensu lato, in which case Desmodium fernaldii becomes a variety of Desmodium paniculatum.

Distribution and habitat
Desmodium fernaldii is native to the southeastern United States.