算珠豆 suan zhu dou

Uraria cordifolia Wallich, Pl. Asiat. Rar. 1. 33. 1830.

Shrubs, erect, 0.4-1 m tall. Branches stout, densely yellow tomentose. Leaves 1-foliolate; petiole 4-5 cm, yellow tomen­tose; blade ovate or broadly ovate, 4-12 × 6-10 cm, both sur­faces shortly tomentose, base shallowly cordate, apex obtuse, not mucronate. Racemes terminal, 13-20 cm, simple or once branched at base, densely shortly yellow tomentose. Pedicel 1-1.2 cm at fruiting, with grayish yellow spreading hairs. Calyx 4-5 mm; upper 2 lobes connate above middle. Corolla pale red or white, 5-6 mm; standard obovate; wings ca. 5 × 1-2 mm, base auriculate; keel obtuse, clawed. Ovary 2- or 3-ovuled; style enlarged from apex to middle, 8-10 × as long as ovary. Legume brown, with short hairs, 2- or 3-jointed. Seeds reniform, ca. 2 × 1.5 mm. Fl. May-Jun, fr. Aug-Sep.

Sunny slopes, roadsides, weedy places; below 1000 m. Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan [Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Thai­land, Vietnam].

Two of us (Ohashi and Iokawa) prefer to treat this species as Uraria cordifolia.