Plant of the month December,2011
Eng (thai)

 

 

Eriosema chinense Vogel, Nov. Actorum Acad. Caes. Leop.-Carol. Nat. Cur. 19(Suppl. 1): 31. 1843.
Fabaceae (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae)

Description: Perennial herb, 10–50 cm tall, tuber succulent. Densely villous on stem, stipules, leaves beneath, calyx. Stipules linear, 4–8 mm long, persistent. Leaves 1-foliolate, lanceolate, 1.5–7 cm long, apex acute or obtuse; base rounded to sub-cordate. Raceme axillary, short, 1–2-flowered; bracts linear. Calyx campanulate, 3–5 mm long, 5-lobed. Corolla pale yellow, 0.8–1 cm long; standard obovate, with 2 auricles at base; wings obovate-oblong, auriculate on one side; keel shorter than wings, obovate-oblong. Ovary densely hirsute; style inflexed, glabrous. Legume elliptic or oblong, to 1 cm long, oblique, black, hirsute. Seeds 2, black, small; hilum linear ca to seed length, funicle at one end.

 

Distribution: India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, S China, Indochina, Malesia, Philippines, Australasia.

Notes: Last updated on 27 December 2016.

Photos: Preecha Karaket (Doi Hua Mot, Tak)

References: 
Sa, Ren and M.G. Gilbert. 2010. Fabaceae (Eriosema). In Flora of China Vol. 10: 227.