Dragon tongue (Phyllodium elegans)

Dragon tongue (Phyllodium elegans) is a plant species in Fabaceae, shrubs up to 3 meters high, stems erect or sloping and brown, leaves gathered in three strands and are elongated in shape, flowers grow in rows on long stalks.

P. elegans has stems erect or sideways, cylindrical, woody, sturdy, slender, branching alternately, zigzagging, brown, the surface has white hair and the old stems have colored spots.

The leaves grow in a stalk with three strands. The leaves are elongated, the base is rounded, the tip is slender, a bone in the middle with several lateral veins, the upper surface is brownish green and has white hair.

The inflorescences grow in rows on long stalks. The flower buds are folded and wrapped in two circular leaves, flat, green and white-haired. The flower has a yellowish white color and the base is brown.

Pod-shaped fruit, white hair, tip has a tail and 1-3 seeds but generally 2 seeds. Dragon tongue grows on the slopes of sandy, calcareous soils, karst, lots of sun and wind resistance.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Tribe: Desmodieae
Subtribe: Desmodiinae
Genus: Phyllodium Desv. in J. Bot. Agric. 1: 123 (1813)
Species: Phyllodium elegans (Lour.) Desv. in Mém. Soc. Linn. Paris 4: 324 (1826)

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Desmodium blandum Meeuwen in Reinwardtia 6: 247 (1962)
Desmodium elegans (Lour.) Benth. in Fl. Hongk.: 83 (1861)
Dicerma elegans (Lour.) DC. in Prodr. 2: 339 (1825)
Hedysarum elegans Lour. in Fl. Cochinch.: 450 (1790)
Phyllodium elegans var. typicum Schindl. in Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 20: 270 (1924)
Zornia elegans (Lour.) Pers. in Syn. Pl. 2: 318 (1807)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Aeschynomene heterophylla Lour. in Fl. Cochinch., ed. 2: 446 (1793)
Phyllodium elegans var. javanicum Schindl. in Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 20: 270 (1924)

PUBLICATIONS

Leti, M., Hul, S., Fouché, J.-G., Cheng, S.K. & David, B. (2013). Flore photographique du Cambodge: 1-589. Éditions Privat, Toulouse.

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): 毛排钱草
Chinese (traditional): 毛排錢草
English: Dragon tongue
Indonesia: Lidah naga
Japanese: ギンモウウチワツナギ
Java: Ilat nogo

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