Family: Fabaceae
Desmodium incanum (kaimi clover, spanish clover) is a perennial leguminous herb native to tropical and subtropical America. The name Kaimi clover comes from the Hawaiian word for “seeker”. Initially, this species was highly valued for its nitrogen-fixing capabilities and its role as a forage plant. However, its practical applications have declined over time. It is now widespread in Asia and Africa, and is naturalized in Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokai, Lānaʻi, Maui and Hawaiʻi. Certain factors that can lead to the perception of Desmodium incanum as invasive include its aggressive growth, prolific seed production of “hitchhikers”, resistance to control measures, and its potential to disrupt local ecosystems.
High Risk Traits:
- Thrives and spreads in regions with tropical climates
- Naturalized on Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai. Maui and Hawaii (Hawaiian Islands) and widely naturalized in the wet tropics
- A common weed in landscapes, home gardens, pastures, and other agricultural production systems
- May compete with or impact certain endangered plants in the Hawaiian Islands, although not conclusively implicated in specific, detrimental effects
- Other Desmodium species are invasive weeds
- Tolerates many soil types
- Reproduces by seeds and vegetatively by stolons, by fragments of stems or broken pieces of its taproot.
- Self-fertile
- Seeds dispersed by animals and humans, the hooked hairs on the pod adhering to fur or clothing; seeds also spread internally by grazing animals
- Seeds may form a persistent seed bank (up to 4 years)
- Tolerates heavy grazing, mowing and fire
Low Risk Traits:
- Valued as a palatable pasture species in the Hawaiian Islands, with negative impacts, if any, largely restricted to disturbed habitats
- Unarmed (no spines, thorns, or burrs)
- Highly palatable
- Non-toxic
- Grows best in high light environments (dense shade may inhibit spread)
- Herbicides may provide effective control
