Flemingia Explained
Flemingia is a genus of plants in the family Fabaceae. It is native sub-Saharan Africa, Yemen, tropical Asia, and Australasia. 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.[1] [2] 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.[3] [4] [5]
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).[6] Plants of the World Online accepts 46 species.
Uses
Root tubers of Flamingia species have traditionally been used as food for Aborigines of the Northern Territory.[7]
Traditional use
Some species of Flemingia are used in the herbal medicine traditions of various Asian communities. This is attributed to their unique chemical properties, 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.
Species
46 species are accepted.
- Flemingia angusta
- Flemingia angustifolia
- Flemingia bhutanica
- Flemingia bracteata
- Flemingia chappar
- Flemingia cumingiana
- Flemingia faginea
- Flemingia fluminalis
- Flemingia fruticulosa
- Flemingia gracilis
- Flemingia grahamiana
- Flemingia horsfieldii
- Flemingia javanica
- Flemingia kerrii
- Flemingia kweichowensis
- Flemingia lacei
- Flemingia langbiangensis
- Flemingia latifolia
- Flemingia lineata
- Flemingia macrophylla
- Flemingia mengpengensis
- Flemingia mukerjeeana
- Flemingia nana
- Flemingia nilgheriensis
- Flemingia paniculata
- Flemingia parviflora
- Flemingia pauciflora
- Flemingia praecox
- Flemingia procumbens
- Flemingia prostrata
- Flemingia rollae
- Flemingia semialata
- Flemingia sirindhorniae
- Flemingia sootepensis
- Flemingia stricta
- Flemingia strobilifera
- Flemingia teysmanniana
- Flemingia tiliacea
- Flemingia trifoliastrum
- Flemingia trifoliata
- Flemingia tuberosa
- Flemingia vestita
- Flemingia wallichii
- Flemingia weii
- Flemingia wightiana
- Flemingia yunnanensis
External links
Notes and References
- Book: Lewis G, Schrire B, MacKinder B, Lock M. Legumes of the World . The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2005. 529. 1900347806.
- Book: National Research Council. Tropical Legumes: Resources for the Future. Books for Business/ The Minerva Group, Inc. . 2002. 37–38. 0894991922.
- Book: Watson L. Scientific Description: Flemingia W.T. Aiton. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . 2008.
- Book: Chaudhri AB. Forests Plants of Eastern India. Ashish. 2005. 205–206. 8170245370.
- 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). Flora of China. 10 . 3 . 232–237. 1043-4534.
- Mishra S. 2001 . Revision of the genus Flemingia Roxb. ex. W.T. Aiton, nom.cons. (Leguminosae) in Nepal. Botanica Orientalis . 4 . 1 . 458 .
- NTFlora Northern Territory Flora online: Flora of the Darwin Region: Fabaceae. Retrieved 10 June 2018
