Desmodium brachypodum

Erect or climbing herb, to 60 cm tall; stems rigid, upright, with short spreading uncinate or recurved hairs. Leaves trifoliolate, lower leaves sometimes 1-foliolate; leaflets ovate to elliptic, 1.5–7 cm long, 7–40 mm wide, upper surface more or less glabrous, lower surface with minute uncinate hairs, apices obtuse to acute; petiole 20–55 mm long; stipules 4–8 mm long; stipellae to 5 mm long. Racemes terminal, 15–40 cm long, 8–20-flowered; pedicels 1–2 mm long, shorter than calyx in fruit. Flowers usually paired, close; petals c. 5 mm long, mauve to red or yellowish. Pod 20–40 mm long, densely covered with minute uncinate hairs; articles 3–8, each 3–5 mm long. Flowers spring–autumn.