Mordi
Alysicarpus glumaceus

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A herb. It grows each year from seed. It is often woody at the base. It can lie over. The stems are hairy. The leaves have one leaflet. The leaflet is 1-2 cm long by 0.2-1.1 cm wide. The flowers are neat the tip opposite the leaves. The fruit are pods 1-1.5 cm long. There are 4-7 seeds and the pod is constricted between the seeds. The seeds are reddish brown or olive green. They are about 2 mm long by 1.8 mm wide and 1 mm deep. There are some subspecies.

There are about 30 Alysicarpus species. Also as Papilionaceae. It is used in medicine. It is used for grazing animals.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows on sandy plains. It grows from sea level to 1,740 m above sea level. It is usually in grassland. It grows in semi-arid areas.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Arabia, Asia, Australia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, East Africa, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Middle East, Mozambique, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sahel, SE Asia, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Togo, Uganda, West Africa, Yemen, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The seeds are mixed with millet to increase the bulk.

It is a famine food.

Edible parts

Seeds

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Alysicarpus violaceus (Forsk.) Schindl.; Hedysarum glumaceum Vahl.; Hedysarum violaceum Forsk.;