Zornia diphylla
(L.) Pers.
Fabaceae
Various other Zornia species have long been confused with Zornia diphylla (L.) Pers. However, Dandy & Milne-Redhead in Kew Bull. 17: 73 - 74 (1963) concluded that the name Zornia diphylla must be restricted to the plant hitherto known as Zornia conjugata (Willd.) Sm., and which, far from being a pantropical weed, seems to be unknown outside its natural area of distribution, namely Sri Lanka and southern India[
308- Title
- Flora Zambesiaca
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants.
].
Hedysarum conjugatum Willd.
Hedysarum diphyllum L.
Zornia conjugata (Willd.) Sm.
Zornia dyctiocarpa DC.
Zornia zeylonensis Pers.
Common Name:
General Information
Zornia diphylla is a densely-branched, prostrate to erect plant with wiry stems up to 50cm long[
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
464- Title
- A Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon
- Publication
-
- Author
- Trimen H.; continued by Hooker J.D.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Dulau and Co; London.
- Year
- 1898
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Very dated, but still a useful work. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
,
Range
E. Asia - southern India, Sri Lanka
Habitat
Not known
Properties
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Habit | Perennial |
| Height | 0.30 m |
| Pollinators | Insects |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria; these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[
755- Title
- Nodulation Plants in GRIN Taxonomy
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.ars-grin.gov/~sbmljw/cgi-bin/taxnodul.pl?language=en
- Publisher
- United States Department of Agriculture
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An online database listing plants that have either positive or negative reports on root and stem nodulation with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
].
Edible Uses
None known
Medicinal
The root is soporific and is used to induce sleep in children[
240- Title
- Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement).
- Publication
-
- Author
- Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C.
- Publisher
- Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi.
- Year
- 1986
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.
]. This report probably should refer to Zornia gibbosa[
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].
The plant (part not specified) is used to treat dysentery and venereal diseases[
1629- Title
- The Essential Oil Constituents of Zornia diphylla (L.) Pers, and Anti-Inflammatory and Antimicrobial Activities of t
- Publication
- Rec. Nat. Prod. 8:4 (2014) 385-393
- Author
- Arunkumar R. et al
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 2014
- ISBN
-
- Description
-
].
An essential oil obtained from the whole plant is rich in monoterpenoids, especially sabinene (43.1%) and terpinene 4-ol (13.2%). The essential oil has shown a significant antibacterial activity against Salmonella typhi and also antiinflammatory activity. Sabinene showed promising antibacterial and antifungal activities[
1629- Title
- The Essential Oil Constituents of Zornia diphylla (L.) Pers, and Anti-Inflammatory and Antimicrobial Activities of t
- Publication
- Rec. Nat. Prod. 8:4 (2014) 385-393
- Author
- Arunkumar R. et al
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 2014
- ISBN
-
- Description
-
].
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed -
If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.
Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
