Hylodesmum podocarpum
(DC.) H.Ohashi & R.R.Mill
Fabaceae
The Hylodesmum podocarpum complex is extremely variable in the shape of the terminal leaflets, although the taxa resemble each other in having laxly flowered inflorescences, small flowers, nonclawed wings and keel petals, broadly subobovate small articles, and similar areas of distribution. The taxonomic ranks for these infraspecific taxa are somewhat confusing. Huang considers the complex to consist of one species, Podocarpium podocarpum, including four varieties, while Ohashi and Mill (loc. cit.) consider it to consist of Hylodesmum podocarpum and three subspecies, one of which contains a variety[
266- Title
- Flora of China
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
- Publisher
- Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis.
- Year
- 1994
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
].
Desmodium bodinieri H.Lév.
Desmodium fallax Schindl.
Desmodium japonicum Miq.
Desmodium mandshuricum (Maxim.) Schindl.
Desmodium maximowiczii Makino
Desmodium oxyphyllum DC.
Desmodium podocarpum DC.
Desmodium racemosum (Thunb.) DC.
Desmodium szechuenense (Craib) Schindl.
Hedysarum podocarpon (DC.) Spreng.
Hedysarum podocarpum (DC.) Spreng.
Hedysarum racemosum Murray
Hedysarum racemosum Thunb.
Meibomia japonica (Miq.) Kuntze
Meibomia podocarpa (Thunb.) Kuntze
Podocarpium fallax (Schindl.) C.Chen & X.J.Cui
Podocarpium mandshuricum (Maxim.) Czerep.
Podocarpium podocarpum (DC.) Y.C.Yang & P.H.Huang
Common Name:
General Information
Hylodesmum podocarpum is a herbaceous perennial plant with erect stems 50 - 110cm tall[
266- Title
- Flora of China
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
- Publisher
- Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis.
- Year
- 1994
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and sometimes as a food.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
58- Title
- Flora of Japan. (English translation)
- Publication
-
- Author
- Ohwi. G.
- Publisher
- Smithsonian Institution
- Year
- 1965
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.
,
266- Title
- Flora of China
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
- Publisher
- Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis.
- Year
- 1994
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
Range
E. Asia - Russian Far East, China, Japan, Korea, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines.
Habitat
Roadsides, grassy slopes, grasslands on high mountains, mountain slopes, forests, thickets, forest margins and ditches; at elevations from 100 - 2,100 metres[
266- Title
- Flora of China
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
- Publisher
- Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis.
- Year
- 1994
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
].
Properties
Edibility Rating | |
Medicinal Rating | |
Habit | Perennial |
Height | 0.80 m |
Pollinators | Insects |
Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Hylodesmum podocarpum has a very wide range, from the cold temperate regions of northeast China to the tropical mountains of the Philippines.
Requires a well-drained soil and a sunny sheltered position[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[
755- Title
- Nodulation Plants in GRIN Taxonomy
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.ars-grin.gov/~sbmljw/cgi-bin/taxnodul.pl?language=en
- Publisher
- United States Department of Agriculture
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An online database listing plants that have either positive or negative reports on root and stem nodulation with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
].
Edible Uses
Seed - cooked. Ground into a powder or steamed[
177- Title
- Plants for Human Consumption.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Kunkel. G.
- Publisher
- Koeltz Scientific Books
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 3874292169
- Description
- An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
]. (this report is for ssp oxyphyllum)
Medicinal
The whole plant, including the root bark, is used for reducing fever and curing malaria, treating coughs and bleeding wounds[
266- Title
- Flora of China
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
- Publisher
- Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis.
- Year
- 1994
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
,
1422- Title
- Analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic activities of the petroleum ether fraction from the ethanol extract of
- Publication
- Journal of Ethnopharmacology 133 (2011) 1126-1131
- Author
- Zhan-Zhou Zhu et al
- Website
- http://10.1016/j.jep.2010.11.042
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 2011
- ISBN
-
- Description
-
].
The whole plant is used medicinally for treating dysentery and rheumatism[
266- Title
- Flora of China
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
- Publisher
- Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis.
- Year
- 1994
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
]. (this report is for ssp fallax)
A tincture of the plant is used as a respiratory stimulant[
218- Title
- Medicinal Plants of China
- Publication
-
- Author
- Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S.
- Publisher
- Reference Publications, Inc.
- Year
- 1985
- ISBN
- 0-917256-20-4
- Description
- Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
]. A decoction of the plant is diaphoretic[
218- Title
- Medicinal Plants of China
- Publication
-
- Author
- Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S.
- Publisher
- Reference Publications, Inc.
- Year
- 1985
- ISBN
- 0-917256-20-4
- Description
- Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
]. (this report is for ssp oxyphyllum)
The plant has been shown to have antinociceptive, antiinflammatory and antipyretic activities[
1422- Title
- Analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic activities of the petroleum ether fraction from the ethanol extract of
- Publication
- Journal of Ethnopharmacology 133 (2011) 1126-1131
- Author
- Zhan-Zhou Zhu et al
- Website
- http://10.1016/j.jep.2010.11.042
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 2011
- ISBN
-
- Description
-
]
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse. Scarify and pre-soak stored seed for 5 hours in warm water then sow early spring in a greenhouse. The seed usually germinates within 1 - 4 months at 25°c. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots once they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer and consider giving them some protection from frost in their first winter outdoors.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood with a heel, mid summer in a frame.
Division as the plant comes into growth in the spring. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.
Root cuttings in winter.
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