Desmodium adscendens (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Desmodium adscendens (Sw.) DC.

Protologue: Prodr. 2: 332 (1825).

Family: Leguminosae - Papilionoideae

Chromosome number: 2n= 22

Synonyms

• Hedysarum adscendens Swartz (1788),
• Desmodium oxalidifolium G. Don (1832),
• Desmodium trifoliastrum Miquel (1855).

Vernacular names

• Tick clover, sweetheart (Dominica), adscendens (South America) (En)
• Zarzabacoa galana (Am)
• Papua New Guinea: roabe (Kurtachi, Bougainville)
• Philippines: pega pega
• Vietnam: bai ngai

Origin and geographic distribution

D. adscendens occurs naturally in tropical Africa and South America. It has been introduced throughout South and South-East Asia and Melanesia.

Uses

In South-East Asia and tropical Africa, D. adscendens is used as cover crop in tea, coffee and oil-palm plantations. In Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania it is used as a cover crop in clove plantations and has been tested as a forage legume in coconut stands. In Brazil, it provides forage for all stock, especially for horses.

The leaves of D. adscendens are used in Papua New Guinea to treat stomach-ache. It is used against asthma and other diseases associated with smooth muscle contraction in Ghana, against fever, pain, epilepsy and stomach-ache in Congo. In Central America a decoction of the plant is used as a laxative and to treat convulsions, and in Dominica, to soothe urinary disorders in cases of venereal diseases.

Properties

In Brazilian analyses the composition of 100 g dry matter was: crude protein 10.5 g, ether extract 3.4 g, nitrogen free extract 49.8 g, crude fibre 31.4 g, Ca 0.92 g, and P 0.13 g. The digestibility of organic matter was 64.9%. When harvested at mid-bloom stage, the composition of 100 g dry matter was: crude protein 14.7 g, ether extract 2.7 g, nitrogen free extract 39.7 g, crude fibre 34.8 g. The estimated digestible protein content was 2.5-2.7 g, the energy value 2200-2300 kJ/kg.

Botany

• A creeping or ascending perennial herb or low shrub, up to 1 m long, taproot diffuse.
• Stem terete, often rooting near the base, striate, densely soft hairy, glabrescent.
• Leaves trifoliolate; stipules obliquely ovate-lanceolate with long attenuate apex, up to 1 cm × 3 mm, persistent; petiole 1-3 cm long, rachis up to 1 cm long, both pilose; leaflets elliptical-obovate, terminal leaflet (1.5-)2-4(-5.5) cm × 1-3 cm, lateral leaflets smaller, cuneate to rounded at base, margin entire, obtuse and emarginate at apex, upper surface glabrous to sparsely pubescent, lower surface sparsely to densely soft pilose, lateral nerves rather distinct and not reaching the margin, 4-7 on either side of the midrib.
• Inflorescence a terminal or axillary raceme, 4-20 cm long, lax-flowered; flowers usually in pairs; bracts ovate with a long-acuminate apex, 4-6(-11) mm × 1.5-2.5 mm, densely pubescent, early caducous; pedicel slender, up to 2 cm long in fruit, densely covered with mixed, spreading, hooked and straight hairs less than 1 mm long; bracteoles absent.
• Calyx 2.5-3.0 mm long, covered with persistent, patent, long hairs especially on the 5 teeth and with minute straight or hooked hairs; corolla white or purple to violet; standard broadly obovate or orbicular, 4.5-5.5 mm × 4.0-4.5 mm, rounded or retuse at the apex, shortly clawed; wings nearly obovate, about 4 mm × 2 mm, obtuse at the apex, auriculate at the base, shortly clawed; keel-petals 4.5-5.0 mm long, incurved, subacute at the apex, distinctly long-clawed, claw 2-3 mm long; stamens diadelphous; pistil 5.0-5.5 mm long, densely short-hairy on the ovary, style glabrous, stigma minutely capitate.
• Pod narrowly oblong, 1.0-2.5 cm × 3-4 mm, 3-6-jointed, dehiscent along the lower sutures, rarely shortly (1-2 mm) stipitate, slightly swollen on the seed, densely covered with very short, spreading, hooked hairs.
• Seed flattened, ellipsoid, 2.5-5.0 mm × 1.5 mm.

Several varieties and forms have been distinguished in the taxonomic literature on the basis of size and thickness of leaflets and on degree of hairiness. Because many intermediate forms occur as well, D. adscendens is best considered as a rather variable species, of which the extreme forms do not deserve separate taxonomic recognition.

Ecology

D. ascendens occurs in damp swamp forest and other humid, locations like stream banks and bunds of rice fields, provided that they are shady. In equatorial regions it is found from 200-1000 m altitude. In Java, it flowers year-round. In the subtropics it flowers late in the growing season.

Agronomy

D. adscendens is usually propagated by seed, but propagation by stem cuttings is also possible. Planted at 1 m × 1 m spacing, it forms a permanent ground cover. It loses its leaves after flowering during the dry season, and some stems may die. Growth starts again with the onset of the rains. In Brazil, 3-4 cuts per year can be taken for forage. It has been tested in Colombia, and in Florida it was found to be resistant to root-knot nematodes.

Genetic resources and breeding

Small numbers of D. adscendens accessions are included in the Desmodium collections of the Centro Agronómico de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Colombia and of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Florida.

Prospects

D. adscendens may continue to play a role as a green manure and cover crop. Its resistance to root-knot nematodes may prove useful in Desmodium breeding programmes.

Literature

• Addy, M.E. & Awumey, E.M., 1984. Effects of the extracts of Desmodium adscendens on anaphylaxis. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 11(3): 283-292.
• Addy, M.E. & Burka, J.F., 1988. Effect of Desmodium adscendens fractions on antigen-and arachidonic acid induces contractions of guinea pig airways. Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology 66(6): 820-825.
• Addy, M.E. & Burka, J.F., 1990. Effect of Desmodium adscendens fraction 3 on contractions of respiratory smooth muscle. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 29(3): 325-335.
• Addy, M.E. & Dzandu, W.K., 1986. Dose response effects of Desmodium adscendens aqueous extract on histamine response, content and anaphylactic reactions in the guinea pig. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 18(1): 13-20.
• Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink, R.C., 1963. Flora of Java. Vol. 1. Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands. p. 608.
• Bogdan, A.V., 1977. Tropical pasture and forage plants (Grasses and legumes). Longman, London, United Kingdom. p. 341.
• Faridah Hanum, I. & van der Maesen, L.J.G. (Editors), 1997. Plant Resources of South East Asia No 11. Auxiliary plants. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Netherlands. 389 pp.
• Kretschmer, A.E., Sonoda, R.M. & Snyder, G.H., 1980. Resistance of Desmodium heterocarpon and other tropical legumes to root-knot nematodes. Tropical Grasslands 14: 115-120.
• Morton, J.F., 1981. Atlas of medicinal plants of Middle America. Bahamas to Yucatan. Charles C. Thomas, Springfield, Illinois, United States. 1420 pp.
• Ohashi, H., 1973. The Asiatic species of Desmodium and its allied genera (Leguminosae). Ginkgoana 1: 199-203.
• 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.
• Schubert, B.G., 1971. Desmodium. In: Milne-Redhead, E. & Polhill, R.M. (Editors): Flora of tropical East Africa. Leguminosae (Part 3), Papilionoideae (Part 1). Crown Agents for Oversea Governments and Administrations, London, United Kingdom. pp. 461-462.
• 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.
• Whyte, R.O., Nilsson-Leissner, G. & Trumble, H.C., 1953. Legumes in agriculture. FAO, Rome, Italy. p. 269.

Main genus page

• Desmodium (Medicinal plants)

Authors

• C.C. Wong & P.K. Eng
• N. Setyowati-Indarto & M. Brink