Illinois Tick-trefoil

Desmodium illinoense

Pollinator Value

❄️ Winter Food Source: Desmodium seeds are consumed by several upland game birds. Northern Bobwhite (12% diet occurrence), Ruffed Grouse (29% diet occurrence), Montezuma Quail (11%), and Spotted Dove (3%) include Desmodium seeds in their diet. The hooked loments persist on dry stems through winter, providing a reliable seed source for ground-feeding birds.
S57

Proximity Score: 3a
Native Status: ❌ Outaouais ❌ Ottawa ❌ QC ✅ ON
Closest Direction: SW
CEC Eco-Regions: 8 – Eastern Temperate Forests, 8.2 – Central USA Plains, 8.2.3 – Central Corn Belt Plains
Rarity Notes: COSEWIC assessed as Endangered; SARA Schedule 1 listed as Extirpated. NatureServe global rank G5 but Canadian national rank N1, restricted to Ontario where it is critically imperiled (S1). One of the rarest native plants in Canada, with very few known extant populations in southwestern Ontario.
S22+S26
Rarity Ranks: QC SNA – Not Applicable, ON S1 – Critically Imperiled
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: A prairie and savanna species of the central US tallgrass region, occurring on mesic to dry fields, prairie ravines, hillsides, open woods, and roadsides. In Michigan it inhabits prairies, dry sandy fields, gravelly hilltops, railroads, and borders and openings in oak-hickory forests. At its Canadian range limit, restricted to scattered sites in southwestern Ontario where it is critically imperiled (S1). COSEWIC-assessed as Endangered and SARA-listed as Extirpated from Canada.
S4+S7+S22+S26

Roles: N-fixer, pollinator support
S11 Fabaceae N-fixer; S4 special value to bumble bees
Notes: As a nitrogen-fixing legume, Desmodium illinoense enriches soil through its root-associated rhizobia, benefiting neighboring prairie grasses and forbs. Its deep-rooted habit and association with tallgrass prairie species like Andropogon gerardii and Amorpha canescens suggests utility in prairie restoration guilds.
S11+S7

Category: Adjuvant
S28 Meskwaki Drug, Adjuvant
Notes: The Meskwaki (Fox) people used this plant in combination with others as a powerful medicine, functioning as an adjuvant to enhance the efficacy of multi-plant preparations.
S28

❌ Not Edible