Desmodium lanceolatum
Merr.
Fabaceae Edible: Seeds
iNaturalist· cc-by-sa
(c) Dinesh Valke, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
iNaturalist· cc-by-sa
(c) Dinesh Valke, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
iNaturalist· cc-by-sa
(c) Dinesh Valke, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
Description
A woody herb. It can grow 1.5 m tall. The stems are angular and can be erect, arch over or lie over. The leaves have one leaflet. The leaves are 1-15 cm long by 1-5 cm wide. The seeds are kidney shaped and 2 mm long.
Edible Uses
The kidney-shaped seeds are eaten.
Distribution
A tropical plant. It grows from sea level to 2,000 m above sea level.
Where It Grows
Asia, China, Kenya, SE Asia, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda,
Notes
There are about 350 Desmodium species. They are mostly in the tropics.
Synonyms
Dendrolobium lanceolatum var. lanceolatumDesmodium dunnii Merr.Desmodium dunnii Merr. ex F. P. MetcalfDesmodium lanceolatum sensu Gagnep.Lespedeza lanceolata Dunn
References (2)
- Altschul, S.V.R., 1973, Drugs and Foods from Little-known Plants. Notes in Harvard University Herbaria. Harvard Univ. Press. Massachusetts. no. 1770 (As Desmodium dunnii)
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/ (As Desmodium dunnii)
