Asian foxtail (Uraria crinita) is a species of plant in Fabaceae, a perennial, upright shrub with woody stems at least at the base, up to 2 meters high in forests, agricultural land, waterways, used as a medicinal herb, green manure and sometimes planted in the garden as an ornamental plant.
U. crinita has elongated leaves, rounded base, pointed tip, a bone in the middle with several pinnate veins, rough surface, dark green with white spots. Petiole short or less than 0.5 cm and brownish red.
Compound flower in spike shape, purple and white triangular crown. Long flower stalk, erect, 15-20 cm long and only at the end of the flower. The crown slowly falls off and leaves behind a stalk that is shaped like coir or light yellow pads.
This species grows in dry grasslands, open forests, trash cans, roadsides, sandy areas and sometimes in deciduous forests, elevations of 0-1500 meters and does not grow in waterlogged places.
The different parts are often used in traditional medicine to cure various conditions including dysentery and diarrhea, enlarged spleen and liver and tumors, to stop bleeding, reduce fever and relieve coughs, intestinal worms, carminative for children, remove lice on the hair. This plant is used as a green manure and cover crop.
TAXON
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Tribe: Desmodieae
Subtribe: Desmodiinae
Genus: Uraria Desv. in J. Bot. Agric. 1: 122 (1813)
Species: Uraria crinita (L.) Desv. ex DC. in Prodr. 2: 324 (1825)
HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS
Doodia crinita (L.) Roxb. in Fl. Ind., ed. 1832. 3: 369 (1832)
Hedysarum crinitum L. in Mant. Pl. 1: 102 (1767)
Onobrychis crinita (L.) Spreng. in Syst. Veg., ed. 16. 3: 205 (1826)
HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS
Hedysarum comosum Vahl in Symb. Bot. 2: 84 (1791)
Hedysarum lanseum Noronha in Verh. Batav. Genootsch. Kunsten 5(4): 16 (1790)
Onobrychis comosa Spreng. (1826)
Uraria comosa Span. in Linnaea 15: 193 (1841)
Uraria comosa DC. in Prodr. 2: 324 (1825)
Uraria crinita var. macrostachya Wall. in Pl. Asiat. Rar. 2: 8 (1831)
Uraria macrostachya Wall. in Pl. Asiat. Rar. 2: t. 110 (1830)
Uraria picta Wight in Icon. Pl. Ind. Orient. 2: t. 411 (1840)
PUBLICATIONS
Dy Phon, P. (2000). Dictionnaire des plantes utilisées au Cambodge: 1-915. Chez l'auteur, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Fosberg, F.R., Sachet, M.-H., Oliver, R. (1979). A geographical checklist of the Micronesian Dicotyledonae. Micronesica; Journal of the College of Guam 15: 41-295.
Iwatsuki, K., Boufford, D.E. & Ohba, H. (eds.) (2001). Flora of Japan IIb: 1-550. Kodansha Ltd., Tokyo.
Kumar, S. & Sane, P.V. (2003). Legumes of South Asia. A Checklist: 1-536. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Lock, J.M. & Ford, C.S. (2004). Legumes of Malesia a Check-List: 1-295. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Lock, J.M. & Heald, J. (1994). Legumes of Indo-China a check-list: 1-164. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Wu, Z. & Raven, P.H. (eds.) (2010). Flora of China 10: 1-642. Science Press (Beijing) & Missouri Botanical Garden Press (St. Louis).
Zhu, X.Y., Zhang, R.P. & He, Y.L. (eds.) (2021). An inventory of legume species diversity of Myanmar: 1-297. China Minzu university press.
VERNACULAR NAME
Chinese (simplified): 猫尾草
Chinese (traditional): 貓尾草 - 狗尾草 - 兔尾草 - 通天草
English: Asian foxtail
Indonesian: Bunga ekor rubah, Ekor kucing
Java: Uler-uleran
Khmer: Chô~l hôk, Kântuy châchâ~k, Kântuy kâ-ngaôk
Lao: Ha~ng Kh'a~ngx, Ha~ng süa
Malaysia: Pokok ekur anjing, Serengan hutan, Keretak babi
Singapura: Pokok ekor anis, Seringau
Sunda: Buntut careuh
Thai: หางแมว - หางหมาจอก
Aryo Bandoro
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