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12(3): Medicinal and poisonous plants 3

Dunbaria incana (Zoll. & Moritzi) Maesen

Wageningen Agric. Univ. Pap. 98(1): 61 (1998).

LEGUMINOSAE

2n = unknown

Dunbaria nivea Miq. (1855), Dunbaria scortechinii Prain (1897), Dunbaria harmandii Gagnep. (1915).

Malaysia: tampong urat, patong urat. Thailand: yaan thua raet (peninsular). Vietnam: d[aa]y bu, d[aa]y d[aaj]u hoang, d[aa]y m[os]c.

Dunbaria incana is found in Indo-China, southern China (Hainan), Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Java.

In Peninsular Malaysia (Perak), the leaves are used for poulticing wounds, ulcers and itch, and also to treat fever. In southern China the whole plant of Dunbaria punctata (Wight & Arnott) Benth. is applied to snakebites. Dunbaria bella Prain is mentioned as being used medicinally in Laos.

A perennial climber up to 8 m long; stems up to 5 mm in diameter, ridged and velvety when young. Leaves alternate, pinnately 3-foliolate; petiole 2—8.5 cm long, grooved above; stipules caducous; leaflets rhomboid-ovate, terminal leaflet 4—12 cm x 3—9 cm, base broad to narrowly cuneate, apex cuspidate-acuminate; petiolules 1—3 mm long; stipels minute, hair-like. Inflorescence an axillary raceme, 14—25(—30) cm long, bracts ovate to narrowly elliptical, 3—9 mm x 1—3 mm, 10—20-flowered. Flowers 1—2 per node, bisexual; calyx tube 5 mm long, 5-toothed, yellowish-green to reddish, short pubescent, glandular; corolla papilionaceous, standard rotundate, twisted, 12—17 mm x 14—18 mm, base clawed and with 2 auricles, apex emarginate, dorsally maroon, ventrally yellowish, wings obovate, 12—13 mm x 5 mm, clawed, keel with large, coiled beak, c. 10 mm in diameter, clawed; stamens 10, 9 connate and 1 free; ovary superior, sessile, 1-celled, style filiform, curved. Fruit a linear to slightly falcate pod (4—)5.5—6.5 cm x 0.7—0.8 cm, dark brown with short grey hairs and orange glands, 7—8(—10)-seeded. Seeds reniform, c. 4 mm x 5 mm x 3 mm.
Flowers and fruits of Dunbaria incana can be found throughout the year. Dunbaria comprises 20 species and is found from India to southern China, Korea and southern Japan, throughout South-East Asia and in northern Australia. It belongs to the subtribe Cajaninae of the tribe Phaseoleae, and is related to Cajanus, of which the cultivated pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.) is best known.

Dunbaria incana is found in forest borders, thickets, riverine forest, bamboo forest, on waste ground, in tidal areas and on limestone hills, from sea-level up to 400(—1000) m altitude.

Dunbaria incana is widely distributed and common in disturbed habitats, and is not at risk of genetic erosion.

The prospects for Dunbaria incana as a medicinal plant are unclear because information on the phytochemistry and pharmacological properties is lacking.

[121]Burkill, I.H., 1966. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. Revised reprint. 2 volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Co- operatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol. 1 (A—H) pp. 1—1240, Vol. 2 (I— Z) pp. 1241—2444.
[949]van der Maesen, L.J.G., 1998. Revision of the genus Dunbaria Wight & Arn. (Leguminosae - Papilionoideae). Wageningen Agricultural University Papers 98-1: 1—109.

[62]Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr, R.C., 1964—1968. Flora of Java. 3 volumes. Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands. Vol. 1 (1964) 647 pp., Vol. 2 (1965) 641 pp., Vol. 3 (1968) 761 pp.
[250]Flore du Cambodge, du Laos et du Viêtnam [Flora of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam] (various editors), 1960—. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.
[731]Perry, L.M., 1980. Medicinal plants of East and Southeast Asia. Attributed properties and uses. MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States & London, United Kingdom. 620 pp.

L.J.G. van der Maesen

van der Maesen, L.J.G., 2003. Dunbaria incana (Zoll. & Moritzi) Maesen. In: Lemmens, R.H.M.J. and Bunyapraphatsara, N. (Editors): Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 12(3): Medicinal and poisonous plants 3. PROSEA Foundation, Bogor, Indonesia. Database record: prota4u.org/prosea