Flemingia macrophylla (Willd.) Merrill
Family
Leguminosae
Synonyms
Flemingia congesta Roxb. ex Ait.f., Flemingia latifolia Benth., Moghania macrophylla (Willd.) Kuntze.
Vernacular Names
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Malaysia |
Serengan jantan, beringan. |
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Indonesia |
Apa-apa (Javanese), hahapaan (Sundanese), pok-kepokan (Madura). |
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Philippines |
Laclay-guinan (Tagalog), gewawini (lfugao), malabalatong (Pampanga). |
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Laos |
Thwàx h’è: h’üad, thwàx h’üad (Vientiane), h’ôm sa:m müang (Xieng Khouang). |
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Thailand |
Mahae-nok (northern), khamin-nang, khamin-ling (central). |
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Vietnam |
T[os]p m[ow] l[as]to, c[aa]y dau ma (Vinh Phu), cai duoi chon (Thuan Hai). |
Geographical Distributions
Flemingia macrophylla originated and is widely distributed in Southeast Asia, also in India, Sri Lanka, southern China and Taiwan. It has been introduced and naturalised in Papua New Guinea, East, Central and West Africa and is cultivated in tropical America.
Description
Flemingia macrophylla is a woody, deep-rooting, tussock-forming shrub that can grow 1-4 m tall. The young branches are greenish, ribbed, triangular in section and silky. The old stems are brown and almost round in section.
The leaves are digitately 3-foliolate. The stipules are lance-shaped, measure 1-1.5 cm long, covered with silky hairs and early caduceus. The petiole is up to 10 cm long, narrowly channeled and slightly winged. The leaflets are elliptical-Iance-shaped, measuring 6-16 cm x 4-7 cm, papery, dark green and rounded at base. The veins are covered with silky hairs while the apex is rounded to acuminate.
The inflorescence is a dense axillary raceme, slightly spike-like, sessile, measures 2.5-10 cm long and silky. The bracts are 3-6 mm long and ovate. The sepal is 6-13 mm long, velutinous pale, green, and with 5 lance-shaped lobes. The petal is with greenish elliptical standard and distinct parallel red veins. The wings are narrow, much shorter than the keel and light purple at the apex.
The pod is oblong, inflated, measuring 8-15 mm x 5 mm, covered with fine glandular hairs, dehiscent, dark brown and 2-seeded. The shiny black seed is globular and measures 2-3 mm in diametre.
Ecology / Cultivation
Flemingia macrophylla can be found from sea level up to 2000 m altitude, within a wide range of rainfall patterns, from subhumid to perhumid (1100-2850 mm/year). It can tolerate fairly long dry spells and is capable of surviving in very poorly drained soils with waterlogging. Its natural habitat is along watercourses, both on clay and lateritic soils, as well as under drier conditions such as in fields infested with Imperata cylindrica (L.) Raeuschel. It tolerates shade and poor, acid soils with a high content of soluble aluminium.
Line Drawing / Photograph
References
1. Plant Resources of South-East Asia No.11: Auxiliary plants.
