Flemingia

Flemingia
Flemingia strobilifera
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Tribe: Phaseoleae
Subtribe: Cajaninae
Genus: Flemingia
Roxb. ex W. T. Aiton (1812), nom. cons.
Species

See text

Synonyms[1]
  • Lepidocoma Jungh. (1845)
  • Luorea Neck. ex J.St.-Hil. (1812), nom. rej.
  • Maughania J.St.-Hil. (1812), nom. illeg.
  • Moghamia J.St.-Hil. (1841), orth. var.
  • Ostryodium Desv. (1814)

Flemingia is a genus of plants in the family Fabaceae. It is native sub-Saharan Africa, Yemen, tropical Asia, and Australasia.[1] In Asia the species are distributed in Bhutan, Burma, China, India; Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.[2][3] The genus was erected in 1812.

Description

Members of Flemingia are shrubs, or herbs (or subshrubs); evergreen, or deciduous and perennial. They are generally about 0.2–1.5 m high. The stem is prostrate but weak. Leaves are small to medium-sized; not fasciculate, but alternate. The stem and leaves are pubescent, with dense hairs. Leaf blades are flat dorsoventrally. Flowers are aggregated in ‘inflorescences’; not crowded at the stem bases; in racemes, or in heads, or in panicles. Fruits are aerial, about 6–15 mm long; non-fleshy and hairy.[4][5][6]

Diversity

The number of known species is ambiguous due to taxonomic problems; and is usually enumerated as more than 30. Burma and China have the highest record of Flemingia species with 16 each, followed by India (with 15 species), Thailand (11 species), Laos (10 species), Vietnam (8 species), Bhutan (1 species) and Nepal (5 species).[7] Plants of the World Online accepts 46 species.[1]

Uses

Root tubers of Flamingia species have traditionally been used as food for Aborigines of the Northern Territory.[8]

Traditional use

Some species of Flemingia[which?] are used in the herbal medicine traditions of various Asian communities. This is attributed[by whom?] to their unique chemical properties,[medical citation needed] especially those of flavonoids and sterols. Their most common applications in traditional medicine are for epilepsy, dysentery, stomach ache, insomnia, cataract, helminthiasis, rheumatism, ulcer, and tuberculosis.[citation needed]

Species

46 species are accepted.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Flemingia Roxb. ex W.T.Aiton. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  2. ^ Lewis G, Schrire B, MacKinder B, Lock M (2005). Legumes of the World. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. p. 529. ISBN 1900347806.
  3. ^ National Research Council (2002). Tropical Legumes: Resources for the Future. Books for Business/ The Minerva Group, Inc. pp. 37–38. ISBN 0894991922.
  4. ^ Watson L (2008). Scientific Description: Flemingia W.T. Aiton. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Archived from the original on 2011-03-29. Retrieved 2013-03-02.
  5. ^ Chaudhri AB (2005). Forests Plants of Eastern India. Ashish. pp. 205–206. ISBN 8170245370.
  6. ^ Ren S, Gilbert MG (2010). "FLEMINGIA Roxburgh ex W. T. Aiton, Hort. Kew., ed. 2, 4: 349. 1812, nom. cons., not Roxburgh ex Rottler (1803)" (PDF). Flora of China. 10 (3): 232–237. ISSN 1043-4534.
  7. ^ Mishra S (2001). "Revision of the genus Flemingia Roxb. ex. W.T. Aiton, nom.cons. (Leguminosae) in Nepal". Botanica Orientalis. 4 (1): 458.
  8. ^ NTFlora Northern Territory Flora online: Flora of the Darwin Region: Fabaceae. Retrieved 10 June 2018


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