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Useful Tropical Plants

Zornia latifolia

Sm.

Fabaceae


This species has often been misidentified as Zornia diphylla[
415
Title
Tropical Forages
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/index.htm
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Mainly focussed on forage plants, the site gives a lot of information on the plant, with a good botanical description, details of cultivation, plant uses and a good selection of photographs.
]. This and other Zornia species were long 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., 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.
].

+ Synonyms

Zornia diphylla auct.

Zornia diphylla bernardinensis Chodat & Hassl.

Zornia diphylla gracilis (DC.) Benth.

Zornia diphylla pubescens (Kunth) Benth.

Zornia gracilis DC.

Zornia pubescens Kunth

Zornia surinamensis Miq.

Common Name: Tencilla

No Image.

General Information

Zornia latifolia is a prostrate to erect, much-branched herbaceous perennial plant growing from a tap-root; the stems can be 20 - 80cm long[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
,
1631
Title
A Monograph of the Leguminous Genus Zornia
Publication
Webbia: Journal of Plant Taxonomy and Geography, 16:1, 1-141, 1961
Author
Mohlenbrock R.H.
Website
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00837792.1961.10669720
Publisher
 
Year
1961
ISBN
 
Description
 
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

1631
Title
A Monograph of the Leguminous Genus Zornia
Publication
Webbia: Journal of Plant Taxonomy and Geography, 16:1, 1-141, 1961
Author
Mohlenbrock R.H.
Website
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00837792.1961.10669720
Publisher
 
Year
1961
ISBN
 
Description
 

Range

S. America - Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guyanas

Habitat

Open fields and grassy areas[
1631
Title
A Monograph of the Leguminous Genus Zornia
Publication
Webbia: Journal of Plant Taxonomy and Geography, 16:1, 1-141, 1961
Author
Mohlenbrock R.H.
Website
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00837792.1961.10669720
Publisher
 
Year
1961
ISBN
 
Description
 
].

Properties

Weed PotentialYes
Medicinal Rating *  *
HabitPerennial
Height0.25 m
PollinatorsSelf, Insects
Self-fertileYes
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details

Zornia latifolia plant of the subtropical to tropical zones, where it is found at elevations up to 1,000 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 18 - 29°c, but can tolerate 13 - 34°c[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
]. Growth ceases at temperatures lower than -13°c[
415
Title
Tropical Forages
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/index.htm
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Mainly focussed on forage plants, the site gives a lot of information on the plant, with a good botanical description, details of cultivation, plant uses and a good selection of photographs.
]. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about -1°c, but the young growth can be severely damaged at that same temperature[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,200 - 1,800mm, but tolerates 1,000 - 2,000mm[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
]. Plants can tolerate a dry season of 4 - 6 months[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
].
Requires a sunny position. Grows best in a well-drained medium to heavy soil of moderate fertility, tolerating soils of low fertility[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
]. The plant is well adapted to the free-draining, acid and low-fertility, Aluminium-toxic oxisols of the South American savannahs[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
]. Prefers a pH in the range 4.5 - 6, tolerating 4 - 7[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
]. Established plants are drought tolerant[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
].
The plant has often been cultivated and has become established in several countries outside its native range[
1631
Title
A Monograph of the Leguminous Genus Zornia
Publication
Webbia: Journal of Plant Taxonomy and Geography, 16:1, 1-141, 1961
Author
Mohlenbrock R.H.
Website
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00837792.1961.10669720
Publisher
 
Year
1961
ISBN
 
Description
 
].
Dry matter yields of 2.4 - 2.8 tonnes per hectare in 12 weeks have been recorded; 0.6 - 4.9 tonnes when grown in association with the grasses Brachiaria decumbens and/or Andropogon gayanus[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
].
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

A juice made from the whole plant is drunk in order to calm inflamed intestines[
348
Title
Medicinal Plants of the Guianas
Publication
 
Author
DeFilipps, R. A.; Maina, S. L.; & Crepin, J.
Website
http://botany.si.edu/bdg/medicinal/index.html
Publisher
Smithsonian Museum
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A down-loadable PDF document of a book in pre-publication awaiting illustration. An excellent, if rather terse, guide to the traditional medicinal uses of the plants of the region
].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-12-03. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Zornia+latifolia>

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