14. Desmodium velutinum (Willdenow) Candolle, Prodr. 2: 328. 1825.
绒毛山蚂蝗 rong mao shan ma huang
Shrubs or subshrubs, to 150 cm tall. Young branches densely yellow-brown velutinous and shortly hooked hairy. Leaves 1-foliolate, rarely intermixed with 3-foliolate leaves; petiole 1.5-1.8 cm, densely yellow velutinous; blade ovate, ovate-lanceolate, triangular-ovate, or broadly ovate, 4-17 × 2.5-11.5 cm, both surfaces yellow velutinous, indumentum denser and longer abaxially. Inflorescences terminal and axillary, racemose or paniculate, 4-10 cm, terminal ones often broadly paniculate, to 20 cm, 2-5-flowered at each node; bracts subulate or lanceolate, 2.5-12 × 0.3-0.7 mm. Pedicel ca. 1.5 mm. Calyx 2-3 mm, 4-lobed. Corolla purple or pink, 3-5 mm; standard obovate-orbicular; wings narrowly elliptic, auriculate; keel narrow, not auriculate. Legume narrowly oblong, 1-2 cm × 2-3 mm, lower suture incised between seeds, upper suture nearly straight, with dense yellow straight hairs intermixed with short hooked hairs, 5-7-jointed. Fl. and fr. Aug-Nov. 2n = 22.
Sunny grassy slopes, streamsides, thickets, mixed forests; 100-1400 m. Guangdong, SW Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, S Taiwan, S and SW Yunnan [Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam; tropical Africa; introduced in tropical Americas and Australia].
