Desmodium styracifolium
| Desmodium styracifolium | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Native to: | |
| Nitrogen Fixer | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Desmodium styracifolium (common name: guang jing qian cao)
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: We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it could succeed outdoors in many parts of this country. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.
Requires a well-drained soil and a sunny sheltered position[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[1].
Range: E. Asia - China.
Habitat: Mountain slopes, grasslands and thickets at elevations below 1000 metres in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hubei and S Yunnan Provinces[2].
Medicinal: The whole plant is diuretic and febrifuge[3][4]. It is used in the treatment of gonorrhoea[3]. A decoction of the plant is used in the treatment of gallstones, urinary tract stones and hepatitis[4].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.