Desmodium microphyllum (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Desmodium microphyllum (Thunb. ex Murray) DC.

Protologue: Prodr. 2: 337 (1825).

Synonyms

• Hedysarum microphyllum Thunb. ex Murray (1784),
• Desmodium parvifolium DC. (1825).

Vernacular names

• Laos: hnha:z phak kè:b
• Vietnam: tràng quả ba hoa.

Distribution

From India and Sri Lanka eastward to China, Taiwan and Japan and southward to Malesia and Australia; throughout and common in the Malesian region.

Uses

In Indo-China the whole plant is used in the treatment of eye problems and headache.

Observations

• A slender, much branched, erect or creeping undershrub, up to 150 cm tall, stems glabrescent, terete.
• Leaves 3-foliolate, usually partly 1-foliolate, stipules narrowly triangular to narrowly ovate, 2.4-4.5 mm long, terminal leaflet elliptical or obovate, 3-25 mm × 1-7 mm, larger than the lateral ones, thinly chartaceous, upper surface almost glabrous, lower surface sparsely hairy, lateral veins 4-5 on either side of the midrib, not extending to the margin.
• Inflorescence terminal, racemose, 1-5 cm long, lax-flowered.
• Flowers solitary, calyx very deeply 5-lobed, densely hairy, corolla variably coloured, keel longer than the wings, androecium diadelphous.
• Pod 5-13(-25) mm × 2.5-3(-4) mm, (1-)3-4-jointed, flat, nearly glabrous or moderately hairy, articles obliquely broadly rhombic or elliptical, length 1-1.5 times the width; seeds 1.2-1.5 mm × 2-2.1 mm, arillate.

D. microphyllum is a very common weed in the Malesian region, and is indifferent to rainfall distribution. In Indo-China it is found at 0-2000 m altitude.

Selected sources

• Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr, R.C., 1963-1968. Flora of Java. 3 volumes. Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands. Vol. 1 (1963) 647 pp., Vol. 2 (1965) 641 pp., Vol. 3 (1968) 761 pp.
• Dy Phon, P., Ohashi, H. & Vidal, J.E., 1994. Légumineuses - Desmodiées [Leguminosae (Fabaceae) Papilionoideae - Desmodieae]. In: Lescot, M., Vidal, J.E. & Vidal, Y. (Editors): Flore du Cambodge, du Laos et du Viêtnam [Flora of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam]. Vol. 27. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France. 154 pp.
• Huang, T. C. & Ohashi, H., 1993. Leguminosae. In: Huang, T. C. (Editor): Flora of Taiwan. 2nd Edition. Vol. 3. Editorial Committee of the Flora of Taiwan, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China. pp 160-395.
• Knaap van Meeuwen, M.S., 1962. Preliminary revisions of some genera of Malaysian Papilionaceae V. A census of the genus Desmodium. Reinwardtia 6(3): 239-276.
• Pedley, L. & Rudd, V.E., 1996. Fabaceae (Leguminosae) subfamily Faboideae (Papilionoideae) tribe Desmodieae. In: Dassanayake, M.D. & Clayton, W. D. (Editors): A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon. Vol. 10. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. pp. 149-198.
• Perry, L.M., 1980. Medicinal plants of East and Southeast Asia. Attributed properties and uses. MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States & London, United Kingdom. 620 pp.
• Verdcourt, B., 1979. A manual of New Guinea legumes. Botany Bulletin No 11. Office of Forests, Division of Botany, Lae, Papua New Guinea. 645 pp.

Main genus page

• Desmodium (Medicinal plants)

Authors

N. Setyowati-Indarto & M. Brink