Desmodium repandum

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A low creeping legume with hairy stems. It can be up to 1 m tall. The stems can be simple or branched and are hairy. It has 3 leaflets the edges of which are slightly wavy. The leaves are densely hairy underneath. The leaflets are 2-11 cm long by 1.5-9.5 cm wide. They are rounded at the base and wedge shaped at the tip. The leaf stalks can be 1-10 cm long. The flowers are in unbranched groups at the ends of branches and these can be 7-30 cm long. It has red and yellow flowers. They are 0.8-1.2 cm long. The fruit are pods 1.5-4.5 cm long with 4-5 segments.

There are about 350 Desmodium species. They are mostly in the tropics.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It occurs between 1080 and 2350 m altitude in Papua New Guinea. It occurs in forests and gardens. In Swaziland it is in the high veld only. In Zimbabwe it grows between 900-1,850 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Asia, East Africa, Eswatini, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pacific, Papua, Papua New Guinea, SE Asia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Vietnam, West Africa, West Papua, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The young leaves are eaten. The seeds of are cooked and eaten

Desmodium repandum is widespread as a self sown plant in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. The leaves and seeds are eaten in several areas as a minor vegetable.

Edible parts

Leaves, seeds

How it is grown

They are mostly self sown in grassland and old garden sites in the bush.

Its other names

Local names

Daguma korere, Nyambati, Torwatorwa

Synonyms

Hedysarum repandum Vahl.; Desmodium scalpe DC.;