The pods (loments) of Desmodium gangeticum, with hooked hairs visible around the edges
Noun
tick-trefoil(pluraltick-trefoils)
One of several species in the genus Desmodium in the legume family
Etymology
From tick +trefoil(“three-leaved”). Tick refers to the plant's loments– pods that break apart into segments that each contain one seed – which have small hooked hairs that allow the segments to stick to clothes, hair, or fur, similar to the way a tick clings on with its legs.
