Botanical name: Eriosema chinense    Family: Fabaceae (Pea family)
Synonyms: Crotalaria hamiltonii, Eriosema himalaicum, Eriosema tuberosum

Chinese Sand Pea is a perennial, erect herb, 12-50 cm tall. Flowers are borne in racemes in leaf-axils, extremely short, 1- or 2-flowered; bracts linear. Flowers are pale yellow; standard obovate, base with 2 drooping oblong ears; wings obovate-oblong, eared on one side; keel shorter than wings, obovate-oblong. Sepal-cup is bell-shaped, 3-5 mm, 5-lobed, brown hairy. Ovary is densely long hir­sute; style inflexed, hairless. Root tuber is spindle-shaped to spherical, fleshy. Stems are densely hairy. Leaves are 1-foliolate; blade lanceshaped, 1.5-7 x 0.4-1.5 cm, underside shortly hairy, upper surface and margins sparsely hairy, base rounded or nearly heart-shaped, tip blunt or pointed. Pod is rhomboid-elliptic or ob­long, 8-10 x 5-6 mm, black when mature, hairy. Chinese Sand Pea is found in mountains at altitudes of 300-2000 m, in Tropical & Subtropical Asia to N. Australia. Flowering: May-July.
Medicinal uses: The seeds are astringent, diuretic and tonic. A decoction is given to women to promote discharge of the afterbirth, and to treat leucorrhoea and menstrual derangements. A decoction, combined with ground pepper (Piper species), is used in the treatment of scrofula and diarrhoea. The seed powder is externally applied to check cold sweats.

Your name:
Your email:
Your comments
The flower labeled Chinese Sand Pea is ...