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Flemingia macrophylla

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Flemingia macrophylla
Scientific classificationEdit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Flemingia
Species:
F. macrophylla
Binomial name
Flemingia macrophylla
Synonyms

Crotalaria macrophyllaWilld.
Flemingia angustifoliaRoxb.
Flemingia bhotteaBuch.-Ham.
Flemingia capitataBuch.-Ham.
Flemingia congestaRoxb. exW. T. Aiton
Flemingia latifoliaBenth.
Flemingia nanaRoxb.
Flemingia prostrataRoxb.
Flemingia semialataW.T.Aiton
Moghania cumingiana(Benth.)Kuntze
Moghania macrophylla(Willd.) Kuntze
Moghania semialata(W.T.Aiton) Mukerjee

Flemingia macrophyllais a tropical woodyleguminousshrubin the familyFabaceae.It is a multipurpose plant widely used inagriculture,cropimprovement,fodder,dyesand for varioustherapeuticpurposes. Perhaps, it is the most versatile species ofFlemingiain terms ofadaptation,medicinal and agricultural applications.

Description

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Flemingia macrophyllais a woody,perennial,deep-rooting, and leafy shrub. It is about 0.6-2.4 m high (rarely 3 m). The mainstemisprostrateor erect, with numerous stems arising from a single base. The young branches are greenish, ribbed, triangular in section and silky; while the old stems are brown, almost round in section. The leaves aretrifoliate.leafletsare papery, with a glabrous upper surface.Inflorescencesare densely spicate-racemoseor paniculate, andbractsare foliaceous or dry, persistent ordeciduous.Pods are small and turn brown when ripening; they aredehiscent,generally with two shiny black seeds in the vessel. Seeds are globular, 2–3 mm in diameter, and shiny black. The leaves are disproportionately large, hence origin of thespecific name,macrophyllameaning ‘large leaved’ (Greekmakros= large;phyllon= leaf).[1][2]

Distribution and habitat

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It is a native plant of subhumid to humid (sub-)tropicswhere average annual rainfall is typically 1100–3500 mm with up to 6 dry months, ataltitudeup to 2000 m abovemsl.Thus its natural habitat is found in Asia including Bhutan, southern China, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Nepal, northern Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. It has beencultivatedandnaturalisedinsub-Saharan Africa(such as Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon), Central and South America (e.g. Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia), and tropical Australia.[1][3][4]

Its natural habitat is often in shaded locations, scrub,woodlands,grasslands,gallery forest edges and alike, and on soils with fertility ranging from very low to intermediate (and even high) acidic contents. The shrubs are mostly seen under trees along watercourses and ingrasslands,onclayandlateriticsoils.The plant is tolerant of light shade and is moderately able to survive fires. It can tolerate fairly long dry spells and is capable of surviving on very poorly drained soils withwaterlogging.It can strive well on a wide variety of soils within apHrange from 4–8, and high solublealuminium(80% saturation). It requires a minimum rainfall of about 1,100 mm, and up to 3,500 mm/year for normal propagation, and is verydroughttolerant. It can flower and fruit throughout the year.[3]

Chemical constituents

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A number ofbioactivecompounds have been reported fromF. macrophylla.Like other members ofFabaceae,it is rich inFlavonoids.Genistein,5, 7,3’, 4’-tetrahydroxyisoflavone, 5, 7, 4’-trihydroxyisoflavone-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, 5, 7,4’-trihydroxy-8,3’-diprenylflavanone, 5, 7,4’-trihydroxy-6-prenylisoflavone, flemichin D, lespedezaflavanone A and ouratea-catechin are isolated from the root, in which genistein and itsisoflavonesanalogs are the main constituents.[5][6]A novelflavanone,named fleminone, was isolated from a petrol extract of the stems.[7]A new isoflavone, called flemiphyllin was also isolated.[8]Three new flavonoids, fleminginin (1), flemingichromone (2), and flemingichalcone (3), and other twenty known compounds were isolated from the aerial parts.[9]

Uses

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Agronomy

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Flemingia macrophyllais used in a variety of agricultural practices and by-products. Due to slow decomposition rate of its leaves, along with its dense growth, moderate drought tolerance, ability to withstand occasionalflooding,andcoppicingability, it is commonly used formulching,weed controlandsodprotection. It is most commonly used in contour hedgerows forerosioncontrol, often in association withDesmodium cinereum.Prunings are used formulchand greenmanurein alley cropping systems.[1][2]Probably the most interesting feature of the species is the relative resistance of its leaves to decomposition. It is experimentally demonstrated thatF. macrophyllais superior over the commonLeucaena leucocephalaas mulch forplantainproduction.[10]

It is also often used to shade youngcoffeeandcocoaplants, for weed suppression and soil enrichment inorchards,and to providefuel woodand stakes for climbing crop species. However, it is considered a poorforagesince its leaves have a highfibreandcondensed tanninconcentrations and is not readily eaten by stock. Yet it is used as dietary supplement by mi xing with grasses and other legumes, particularly during dry season when regular forages are scarce.[11][12]

In India it is used as a host plant to theLac insect,and is sometimesintercroppedwith food crops during its establishment period. It is also one of the major sources of theresinouspowder, called in Arabicورس(wars), with variantswaras,wursandwurus,obtained from fruits of the plant. It is a coarse purple or orange-brown powder, consisting of the glandular hairs rubbed from the dry pods, principally used fordyeingsilkto brilliant orange color; the active compound for it is flemingin. InArabia,the powder is used as cosmetic.[2]

Folk medicine

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Extracts fromFlemingiaspecies have been used as a traditional medicine for treatingrheumatism.[13]

References

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  1. ^abcFlora of China Editorial Committee (2010).Flora of China (Fabaceae)(10 ed.). Science Press & Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing & St. Louis. pp. 1–642.
  2. ^abcOrwa C, Mutua A, Kindt R, Jamnadass R, Anthony S (2009).Agroforestree Database: a Tree Reference and Selection Guide Version 4.0 (Flemingia macrophylla)(PDF).World Agroforestry Center. pp. 1–5.
  3. ^ab't Mannetje, L; Jones, RM, eds. (1992).Plant Resources of South-East Asia No. 4. Forages.Backhuys Publishers. pp.131–133.ISBN978-90-220-1032-7.
  4. ^Gutteridge, RC; Shelton, HM, eds. (1994).Forage Tree Legumes on Tropical Agriculture.CAB International, Wallingford, UK/ Oxford University Press, USA.ISBN978-0851988689.
  5. ^Li BQ (2007).Research on Chemical Constituents ofKopsia OfficinalisandFlemingia Macrophyllaand the HPLC Fingerprints of RadixFlemingia.Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden. pp. 131–133.
  6. ^Li BQ, Song QS (2009)."Chemical constituents in roots ofFlemingia macrophylla".Chinese Traditional and Herbal Drugs.40(2): epub. Archived fromthe originalon 2013-10-29.Retrieved2013-03-03.
  7. ^Rao KN, Srimannarayana G (1984). "Fleminone, a flavanone from stems ofFlemingia macrophylla".Phytochemistry.22(10): 2287–2290.doi:10.1016/S0031-9422(00)80163-6.
  8. ^Rao KN, Srimannarayana G (1984). "Flemiphyllin, an isoflavone from stems ofFlemingia macrophylla".Phytochemistry.23(4): 927–929.doi:10.1016/S0031-9422(00)85070-0.
  9. ^Shiao YJ, Wang CN, Wang WY, Lin YL (2005). "Neuroprotective flavonoids fromFlemingia macrophylla".Planta Medica.71(9): 835–840.doi:10.1055/s-2005-871297.PMID16206038.
  10. ^Banful B, Dzietror A, Ofori I, Hemeng OB (2000). "Yield of plantain alley cropped withLeucaena leucocephalaandFlemingia macrophyllain Kumasi, Ghana ".Agroforestry Systems.49(2): 189–199.doi:10.1023/A:1006335710243.S2CID21988693.
  11. ^Shelton HM (2000)."Tropical forage tree legumes in agroforestry systems"(PDF).Unasylva.51(200): 25–32.ISSN0041-6436.
  12. ^Andersson M, Schultze-Kraft R, Peters M."Flemingia macrophylla(Willd.) Merrill ".FAO Data Sheet.
  13. ^Ko YJ, Lu TC, Kitanaka S, et al. (2010). "Analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of the aqueous extracts from three Flemingia species".Am. J. Chin. Med.38(3): 625–38.doi:10.1142/S0192415X1000810X.PMID20503477.
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