Red Butterfly Wing

Overview

Its native distribution is uncertain. Likely to be Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, China, and possibly Myanmar. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine. It is grown as an ornamental, valued especially for its attractive leaves that look somewhat like a butterfly.

Vernacular Names

No found data on this. Need further research.

Agroecology

Grows on open grasslands, thickets, roadsides, seasides in southern China. A weed of pastures and roadsides, growing on sandy, gravelly and shale soils at elevations from 90 - 750  in Jamaica. The plant grows on lighter soils in the wild.

Morphology

• Roots - taproots, branched, cylindrical, dark yellow, also has small lateral roots.
• Stems - erect, green, cylindrical, slender and pubescent.
• Leaves - compound with 3 leaflets; and purplish red with stripes. Larger than the two lateral leaflets, the terminal leaflet is shaped like a boomerang. Leaves become bend downwards when night falls.
• Flowers - Inflorescences are 5 – 15 cm long with hairy pedicels. Flowers are off-white and about 6 mm in diameter. Calyx is reticulate veined. Upper 2 lobes of calyx are connate and lower lobes are almost as long the tube.
• Fruits - The legume is 4-or 5-jointed. Matured seeds are blackish brown, about 3 mm x 2mm. Seeds are glabrous and wholly enclosed by the calyx.

Cultivation

Propagated by seeds.

Chemical Constituents

Phenols, sterols, sesquiterpenoids, alkaloids, polyphenols, fatty acids, flavonoid glycosides, flavonols (quercetin, kaempferol), triterpenes, denbinobin, 5,7-dihydroxy-chromone, rhein, sanleng acid, wedelolacetone, phytol, 10-undecenoic acid, 6  -methylheptyl-2-propenoate, 2-(2-benzothiazolylthio)-1-(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)-ethanone, tetrahydro-2-methyl-thiophene, coumarins, tannins, quinine.

Traditional Medicinal Uses

• The whole plant is used medicinally for treating tuberculosis and snake bites.
• The leaves are used as a topical treatment for healing bone fractures.