Flemingia macrophylla

F. macrophylla is a woody, perennial, deep-rooting, and leafy shrub. It is about 0.6-2.4 m high (rarely 3 m). The main stem is prostrate or 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 are trifoliate. leaflets are papery, with a glabrous upper surface. Inflorescences are densely spicate-racemose or paniculate, and bracts are foliaceous or dry, persistent or deciduous. Pods are small and turn brown when ripening; they are dehiscent, 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 the specific name, macrophylla meaning ‘large leaved’ (Greek makros = large; phyllon = leaf).[1][2]

It is a native plant of subhumid to humid (sub-) tropics where average annual rainfall is typically 1100–3500 mm with up to 6 dry months, at altitude up to 2000 m above msl. 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 been cultivated and naturalised in sub-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 in grasslands, on clay and lateritic soils. 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 with waterlogging. It can strive well on a wide variety of soils within a pH range from 4–8, and high soluble aluminium (80% saturation). It requires a minimum rainfall of about 1,100 mm, and up to 3,500 mm/year for normal propagation, and is very drought tolerant. It can flower and fruit throughout the year.[3]

A number of bioactive compounds have been reported from F. macrophylla. Like other members of Fabaceae, it is rich in Flavonoids. 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 its isoflavones analogs are the main constituents.[5][6] A novel flavanone, 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]

• Information at Tropical Forages
• Information at Flora of China
• Taxonomy at the Plant List
• "Flemingia macrophylla". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
• Taxonomy at Flora of China
• Information at Encyclopedia of Life
• Wikispecies
• Information at hear.org
• Taxonomy at Botanica sistematica