Desmodium elegans
| Desmodium elegans | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 5' |
| Width: | 5' |
| Blooms: | Late Summer-Mid Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Nitrogen Fixer | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Desmodium elegans
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 March 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, July/August 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.
Cultivation: Succeeds in most soils so long as they are well-drained[1][2]. Requires a sunny sheltered position[3][1].
Plants are hardy to about -15°c[4].
Requires long hot summers to be at its best, the flowers are produced on the current years growth and do not open in cold wet seasons[5]. Plants send up new shoots 1 - 1.5m long annually from a woody base[5]. If the plant is not cut back to the ground by winter cold then it is best to prune it hard in late winter in order to encourage better flowering[1].
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[2].
Range: E. Asia - Himalayas to W. China.
Habitat: Dry grassy slopes and in glades in deodar forests to 2700 metres[6]. Forest margins, forests, thickets, mountain slopes, rocky places, roadsides and ditches at elevations of 1000 - 4000 metres[7].
Medicinal: The roots are carminative, diuretic and tonic[8][9]. They are used in the treatment of bilious complaints[8][10].The juice of the root, sometimes combined with the bark juice of Bauhinia malabarica, is used in the treatment of cholera[9].
The juice of the bark is used in the treatment of peptic ulcers[9].
Usage: A fibre from the bark is used for ropes and paper making[6][11].
The wood is a good fuel[6][11].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Early Fall-Late Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: D. tiliifolium.(D.Don.)G.Don. Hedysarum tiliifolium.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Bird, Alfred. Focus on Plants Volume 5. Thompson and Morgan, 1991.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Shrubs. Pan Books, 1989.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Gamble, James. A Manual of Indian Timbers. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, 1972.
- ↑ Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Manandhar, Narayan. Plants and People of Nepal. Timber Press, 2002.
- ↑ Manandhar, N. Medicinal Plants of Nepal Himalaya. Department of Medicinal Plants, 1993.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Gupta, Basant. Forest Flora of Chakrata, Dehra Dun and Saharanpur. Forest Research Institute Press, 1945.