Desmodium strigillosum (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Desmodium strigillosum Schindler

Protologue: Engl. Bot. Jahrb. 54: 57 (1916).

Vernacular names

• Cambodia: trôm sva:
• Laos: taum pauv hmab.

Distribution

Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

Uses

Macerated and crushed roots are applied as a poultice on swellings of the limbs.

Observations

• An erect shrub or subshrub, up to 60 cm tall, stems glabrescent.
• Leaves 3-foliolate, stipules narrowly triangular, 7-8 mm long, terminal leaflet elliptical or obovate, 2-3.5(-4) cm × 1-1.7(-2) cm, larger than the lateral ones, thickly chartaceous to subcoriaceous, upper surface glabrous, lower surface densely hairy, lateral veins 5-7, not extending to the margin.
• Inflorescence terminal, racemose, 3-6(-8) cm long, densely flowered.
• Flowers in pairs, calyx 4-lobed, sparsely hairy, corolla blue, androecium diadelphous.
• Pod narrowly oblong, compressed, 15-20 mm × 2-2.5 mm, 6-8-jointed, articles broadly oblong, densely covered with hooked and straight hairs.
• Seeds 1.1-1.3 mm × 1.5-1.8 mm, rim-arillate.

D. strigillosum is found on dry slopes and wasteland up to 800 m altitude. It may well be grown in the Malesian region.

Selected sources

• 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.
• Ohashi, H., 1973. The Asiatic species of Desmodium and its allied genera (Leguminosae). Ginkgoana No 1. Academia Scientific Books, Tokyo, Japan. 318 pp.

Main genus page

• Desmodium (Medicinal plants)

Authors

N. Setyowati-Indarto & M. Brink