Flemingia

Flemingia is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae. It is native to Asia and 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.

Flemingia
Flemingia strobilifera
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Eudicots
(unranked):
Rosids
Order:
Fabales
Family:
Fabaceae alt. Leguminosae
Subfamily:
Faboideae
Tribe:
Phaseoleae
Subtribe:
Cajaninae
Genus:
Flemingia

Species

See text.

Synonyms

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).[3]

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.[4]

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.[5][6][7]

Uses

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

Species

Some important species include:

References
  1. Lewis G, Schrire B, MacKinder B, Lock M (2005). Legumes of the World. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. p. 529. ISBN 1900347806.
  2. National Research Council (2002). Tropical Legumes: Resources for the Future. Books for Business/ The Minerva Group, Inc. pp. 37–38. ISBN 0894991922.
  3. Mishra S (2001). "Revision of the genus Flemingia Roxb. ex. W.T. Aiton, nom.cons. (Leguminosae) in Nepal". Botanica Orientalis. 4 (1): 458.
  4. Ghalot K, Lal VK, Jha S (2011). "Phytochemical and pharmacological potential of Flemingia Roxb. ex W.T.Aiton (Fabaceae)". International Journal of Phytomedicine. 3 (3): 422–584. ISSN 0975-0185.
  5. Watson L (2008). Scientific Description: Flemingia W.T. Aiton. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  6. Chaudhri AB (2005). Forests Plants of Eastern India. Ashish. pp. 205–206. ISBN 8170245370.
  7. 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.
  8. NTFlora Northern Territory Flora online: Flora of the Darwin Region: Fabaceae. Retrieved 10 June 2018


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