Green Leaf Desmodium is grown for its foliage and the structure it brings to a planting. It's hardy across USDA zones 10 through 11. Its indeterminate flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies. A nitrogen-fixer, it draws nitrogen from the air and feeds it back to the soil — turn it under or leave the roots in place, and the next planting inherits a richer bed.
Green Leaf Desmodium — the short answer
Green Leaf Desmodium: grown in zones 10–11, full sun, pH 4.5–7.5.
- USDA zones
- 10–11
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Soil pH
- 4.5–7.5
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Frost-kill temperature
- 30.2°F
- FAO ECOCROP
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Green Leaf Desmodium on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether green leaf desmodium actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score green leaf desmodium against your land's real conditions.
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What Green Leaf Desmodium is
Green Leaf Desmodium grows as a perennial and reaches around three feet at maturity. It blooms purple in indeterminate.
How to grow Green Leaf Desmodium
Green Leaf Desmodium grows in USDA zones 10 through 11. Green Leaf Desmodium does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4.5 to 7.5, on well-drained ground. It needs a growing season of at least 240 frost-free days, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
10-11
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
4.5 - 7.5
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost Kill Temperature
30.2°F
Where cold starts killing growing tissue. Not a winter-survival floor — a dormant perennial takes far colder, which its hardiness zone answers.
FAO ECOCROP
Minimum Growing Temperature
44.6°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
Mature Height
3 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
240+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant green leaf desmodium in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.
Match the soil
Green Leaf Desmodium prefers pH 4.5 to 7.5 (FAO ECOCROP). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band. It fixes its own nitrogen, so skip the high-nitrogen feed and instead dust the seed with a matching rhizobium inoculant at sowing.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Keep it in good form
Prune green leaf desmodium to shape as it grows; the reward is its foliage and structure, not a harvest, so steady upkeep is the whole job.
Where Green Leaf Desmodium thrives
Green Leaf Desmodium is hardy across USDA zones 10 through 11. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 10–11 spans average winter lows from 30°F to 50°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers none outright but splits 8 down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 10–11·Where Green Leaf Desmodium growsOpen map →
Where Green Leaf Desmodium stands, state by state
Green Leaf Desmodium is rated for zones 10–11 — a cold floor USDA puts at 30 to 40°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 0 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 8 more, and 43 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
The line runs through
8 states
- California · zones 4b-11a
- Nevada · zones 4a-10a
- Arizona · zones 5b-10b
3 of 8 shown
Green Leaf Desmodium’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Green Leaf Desmodium
Growing guides for green leaf desmodium
In rotation planning, green leaf desmodium counts as a Legume — beds recover best when legume crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — green leaf desmodium isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Green Leaf Desmodium offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators.
Your land is one point inside Green Leaf Desmodium's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Green Leaf Desmodium will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether green leaf desmodium actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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How we know this about Green Leaf Desmodium
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Green Leaf Desmodium in my zone?
Green Leaf Desmodium grows in USDA hardiness zones 10 through 11 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Green Leaf Desmodium?
Most growers plant green leaf desmodium after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed, leaving enough of the season for its 240-day frost-free need. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Green Leaf Desmodium need?
Green Leaf Desmodium needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Green Leaf Desmodium need?
Green Leaf Desmodium prefers soil pH 4.5 to 7.5, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Green Leaf Desmodium attract pollinators?
Yes — green leaf desmodium's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies.
Is Green Leaf Desmodium safe for pets?
Green Leaf Desmodium is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)