琉球乳豆 liu qiu ru dou

Herbs, perennial, trailing or climbing. Stems densely whitish villous. Petiolules 1.5-2 mm, hairy; stipels minute and obscure; leaflets broadly elliptic or broadly obovate to suborbic­ular, 1.3-2.7 × 1-1.8 cm, thick, subleathery, adpressed whitish villous abaxially, glabrous adaxially, lateral veins 3-5 pairs, together with midrib raised abaxially, impressed adaxially, vein­lets reticulate, obscure, base rounded, apex rounded or emargi­nate. Racemes axillary, 1-4 cm, nodes slightly swollen. Calyx 4-5 mm, densely villous. Corolla red; standard ca. 10 mm. Leg­umes linear, compressed, ca. 3 × 0.6-0.7 cm. Fr. Aug-Sep.

Open forests. Taiwan [Japan (Ryukyu Islands)].

This species is used for herbage and also grown for erosion con­trol.