Desmodium velutinum (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Desmodium velutinum (Willd.) DC.

Protologue: Prodr. 2: 328 (1825).

Synonyms

• Desmodium lasiocarpum (P. Beauv.) DC. (1825),
• Desmodium latifolium (Roxb. ex Ker.) DC. (1825).

Vernacular names

• Thailand: yaa song plong (central, northern), nieo yai (southwestern).

Distribution

Africa, Asia from India and Sri Lanka eastward to China and Taiwan and southward to Malesia; common throughout the Malesian region.

Uses

In Papua New Guinea, squeezed leaves are chewed with salt to treat diarrhoea. Leaves and roots may be chewed (not swallowed) to relieve toothache.

Observations

• An erect shrub, usually 100-300 cm tall, branches often dark red, young parts densely hairy, rootstock thickened.
• Leaves 1-foliolate, sometimes mixed with 3-foliolate leaves, stipules narrowly triangular, 2-15 mm long, leaflets very variable in size and shape, 4-20 cm × 2.5-13 cm, chartaceous to coriaceous, upper surface continuously appressed-pubescent, lower surface densely velutinous, lateral veins 8-10, extending to the margin.
• Inflorescence terminal and axillary, racemose or paniculate, up to 20 cm long.
• Flowers in clusters of 2-5, calyx 4-lobed, densely hairy, corolla pink, purple, blue or reddish-violet, androecium diadelphous.
• Pod (1-)1.6-2.5 cm × 2.2-3.5 mm, (3-)5-7-jointed, articles broadly oblong, densely covered with hairs; seeds very broadly or depressed ovate, 1.3-1.6 mm × 1.8-2.5 mm.

D. velutinum is subdivided in subspecies and varieties, of which D. velutinum subsp. longibracteatum (Schindler) H. Ohashi and D. velutinum subsp. velutinum are found in South-East Asia. D. velutinum is found in rather open habitats, savanna, secondary forest margins and as a garden weed from sea-level up to 1000 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.
• Holdsworth, D.K. & Lacanienta, E., 1981. Traditional medicinal plants of the Central Province of Papua New Guinea. Part II. Quarterly Journal of Crude Drug Research 19(4): 155-167.
• Holdsworth, D.K. & Sakulas, H., 1992. High altitude medicinal plants of Papua New Guinea. Part II. Mount Wilhelm, Simbu Province. International Journal of Pharmacognosy 30(1): 1-4.
• 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.
• Matthew, K.M., 1981-1988. The flora of the Tamilnadu Carnatic. 4 volumes. The Rapinat Herbarium, St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirapalli, India.
• Ohashi, H., 1973. The Asiatic species of Desmodium and its allied genera (Leguminosae). Ginkgoana No 1. Academia Scientific Books, Tokyo, Japan. 318 pp.
• 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.
• Sprent, J.I. & McKey, D. (Editors), 1994. Advances in legume systematics. Part 5. The nitrogen factor. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, United Kingdom. pp. 241.
• 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