Biology:Desmodium intortum

From HandWiki
Short description: Species of plant in the genus Desmodium

Desmodium intortum
Desmodium intortum (25627687435).jpg
Flowerhead
Starr-141124-2773-Desmodium intortum-habit-Hawea Pl Olinda-Maui (25248953965).jpg
In Hawaii
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Desmodium
Species:
D. intortum
Binomial name
Desmodium intortum
(Mill.) Urb.[1]
Synonyms[2]

Desmodium intortum, known as greenleaf desmodium and also as beggarlice along with other members of its genus, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Desmodium, native to Mexico, Central America, northern South America, the Galápagos, Haiti and Jamaica. A nitrogen-fixing fodder crop, it has been introduced to the rest of the world's tropics, including Africa, India, Australia, New Guinea and Taiwan[2]

Desmodium intortum is used in push–pull agricultural pest management since it contains potent secondary metabolites that are released into the soil and aerially. Inter-cropped in maize and sorghum fields, it repels Chilo partellus, a stem-boring grass moth, and suppresses witchweeds, including Asiatic witchweed (Striga asiatica) and purple witchweed (S. hermonthica).[3]

References

  1. Symb. Antill. 8: 292 (1920)
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Desmodium intortum L.". Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:134286-3. 
  3. "The Plant Encyclopedia - Desmodium". The Plant Encyclopedia. http://www.theplantencyclopedia.org/wiki/Desmodium. Retrieved 17 January 2014. 

Wikidata ☰ Q15240093 entry