Desmodium velutinum (Willd.) DC.

Desmodium lasiocarpum (P. Beauv.) DC.
Desmodium latifolium (Roxb. ex Ker Gawl.) DC.
Hedysarum lasiocarpum P. Beauv.
Hedysarum latifolium Roxb. ex Ker Gawl.
Hedysarum velutinum Willd.
Meibomia lasiocarpa (P. Beauv.) Kuntze

Family: Fabaceae (alt. Leguminosae) subfamily: Faboideae tribe: Desmodieae subtribe: Desmodiinae. Also placed in: Papilionaceae.

Perennial, erect or semi-erect shrub or sub-shrub, up to 3 m high.  Branches often dark red, yellow-brown when young, velutinous and short hooked-hairy.  Leaves 1-foliolate, rarely 3-foliolate, ovate, ovate-lanceolate, triangular-ovate, or broadly ovate, 4-20 cm long and 2.5-13 cm wide, chartaceous to coriaceous, upper surface continuously appressed-pubescent, lower surface densely velutinous.  Inflorescence often dense, terminal or axillary, racemose or paniculate, 4-20 cm long, with 2-5 flowers at each node;  flowers purple to pink.  Pods narrowly oblong, 1-2.5 cm long, 2-3 mm wide, with dense yellow straight hairs intermixed with short hooked hairs, 5-7-jointed.  Seeds ovate , flat, 1.3-1.6 mm x 1.8-2.5 mm, yellow when ripe.  Depending on the genotype, there are 320,000-830,000 seeds per kg.

Native to:
Subtropical Asia (China, Taiwan, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam) and tropical Africa.

No current use as research on this species has only recently begun.  Its potential use is in cut-and-carry or permanently grazed systems.

Adapted to a wide range of soil pH, from very acid (pH 4.0) to alkaline.  Adapted to low-fertility soils.

D. velutinum prefers more humid climates of >1000->3000 mm rainfall /year.  However, tolerates up to 5 months dry season.

Grows at altitudes from 0-1,500 m asl, with average temperature above 20ºC.

Has some shade tolerance as it grows in forest verges in New Guinea.

Indeterminate flowering.

Little information available but it regrows well after infrequent severe defoliation in its native habitats.

No information available.

Guidelines for the establishment and management of sown pastures.

Can be established by cuttings or through seed.  For the latter, scarification is needed to break hardseededness .  Distance between rows 0.6-1.5 m, in the row 0.5-1 m, planted with 3-5 seeds per planting site.

In Colombia, 15-20 kg/ha P is recommended for establishment.

No information available.

No information available.

No information available.

No information available.

A prolific seed producer.

High nutritive quality of edible material, CP 16-27%, IVDMD 55-80%, depending on accession ;  very low amounts of tannins.

Moderately palatable to cattle;  higher acceptability in the dry than in the wet season.

No information available.

Up to 10 t/ha DM in 6 months under cutting on savanna soils in northern Nigeria.

No information available.

2n = 22.

A prolific seed producer.

No information available.

• Adapted to a wide range of soil pH .
• Grows on low-fertility soils.
• High nutritive quality.
• Moderately drought tolerant.

• Still insufficiently researched.

Persistence under cutting and grazing not clear.

Akinola, J.O., Afolayan, R.A. and Alorunju, S.A.S. (1991) Effects of storage, testa colour and scarification method on seed germination of Desmodium velutinum (Willd.) DC. Seed Science and Technology, 19, 159-166.

Asare, E.O., Shehu, Y. and Agishi, E.A. (1984) Preliminary studies on indigenous species for dry season grazing in the northern Guinea savanna zone of Nigeria. Tropical Grasslands, 18, 148-152.

Huang Puhua and Ohashi, H. (ND) Fabaceae: Trib. Desmodieae (Draft). http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/mss/volume10/Fabaceae-AGH_Desmodieae_coauthoring.htm (July 2004).

Kexian Yi, Lascano C.E., Kerridge P.C. and Avila P. (1998) The effect of three tropical shrub legumes on intake rate and acceptability by small ruminants. Pasturas Tropicales, 20, 31-35.

Larbi, A., Awojide, A.A., Adenkunle, I.O., Ladipo, D.O. and Akinlade, J.A. (2000) Fodder production responses to pruning height and fodder quality of some trees and shrubs in a forest-savanna transition zone in southwestern Nigeria. Agroforestry Systems, 48, 157-168.

Mzamane, N. and Agishi, E.C. (1986) Desmodium velutinum : A promising leguminous browse shrub of Nigeria's savannas. PGRC/E ILCA Germplasm Newsletter, 12, 24-26.

Schultze-Kraft R. (1996) Leguminous forage shrubs for acid soils in the tropics. In: Elgersma, A., Struik, P.C. and Maesen, L.J.G. van der (eds) Grassland Science in Perspective. Wageningen Agricultural University Papers, 96-4, 67-81.

Schultze-Kraft, R., Lascano, C., Benavides, G. and GÓmez, J.M. (1989) Relative palatability of some little-known tropical forage legumes. Proceedings of the XVI International Grassland Congress, 4-11 October 1989, Nice, France. pp. 785-786.

Schultze- Kraft, R., Peters, M., Vivas, N., Parra, F. and Franco, L.H. (2005) Desmodium velutinum - a high quality legume shrub for acid soils in the tropics. In: Proceedings of the XX International Grassland Congress, Dublin, Ireland. In press.

Thomas, D. and Schultze-Kraft, R. (1990) Evaluation of five shrubby legumes in comparison with Centrosema acutifolium , Carimagua, Colombia. Tropical Grasslands, 24, 87-92.

Cultivars	Country/date released	Details
None released to date.

Promising accessions	Country	Details
CIAT 13214, 13218, 23138, 23275, 23975, 23982, 23995, 23990, 23996	Colombia	Subhumid to humid environment.  Selected in Santander de Quilichao (CIAT research station) for adaptation to acid soils, nutritive value and DM production.
CIAT 13953	Costa Rica	Subhumid to humid environment.  Selected for DM yield across a range of environments from acid to moderately acid soils.
134 accessions under evaluation at CIAT (2004)	Colombia	Subhumid to humid environment.  Selected in Santander de Quilichao (CIAT research station) for DM yield (>190 g/plant/8 weeks), IVDMD (>66%), adaptation to acid soils and drought (>3 months).