66 FABACEAE 
often reduced or absent thus forming a long raceme- 
like terminal inflorescence; bracts persistent, c. 2 mm 
long. Pedicels 3-11 mm long. Calyx 4-7 mm long. 
Corolla white to faintly pink; standard 6-10 mm long, 
straight; keel pouched at base, shortly connate towards 
apex. Upper stamen free to base. Ovules 1-2. Pods 
brown, dimidiate, flattened, 6-7 mm long, 4-5 mm 
Dendrolobium 
wide, venation obscure. Seed 1, pale brown, c. 4 mm 
long, 2.5 mm wide, smooth; hilum c. 0.5 mm long. 
Flowering: Aug - Mar; fruiting: Feb - Apr. Fig. 20 
Endemic to the western Top End between Katherine 
and Batchelor. Relatively common in the DR. Grows 
on a variety of soil types in Eucalypt savanna. 
DERRIS Lour. 
About 50 species in tropical and subtropical regions; the majority of species in Asia. The 4 Australian 
species mostly occur in Qld, with 1 species extending to the NT and the DR. [Wightman, 1989] 
D. trifoliata Lour. 
D. uliginosa (DC.) Benth. 
Evergreen vine, the old stems brown with pale 
circular corky lenticels, often rooting adventitiously. 
All parts (except ovary) glabrous or nearly so. Stipules 
persistent, broad-triangular, minute. Leaves 
imparipinnate, (1)3-5-foliolate; stipels persistent, 
decurrent with ribs on rachis, minute; rachis to 
basal leaflets 25-75 mm, 50-125 mm overall; 
leaflets lanceolate or ovate, 55-150 mm long, 25-64 
mm wide, L/W 2-2.7, base shortly cordate, apex 
acuminate. Inflorescence terminal or axillary, often 
on old wood, a raceme-like panicle, the flowers on 
short lateral branches off the main axis; to 235 mm 
long; bracts persistent, minute. Pedicels 2-4 mm long; 
bracteoles persistent, minute, just below calyx. 
Calyx cupular, c. 3.5 mm long; shallowly 5-lobed. 
Corolla white or pink; petals clawed; standard + 
as broad as long, 7-10 mm long, emarginate; 
keel petals shortly fused towards apex. Stamens 
9+1, the upper stamen slightly adhering to sheath 
just above base; anthers uniform, dorsifixed and 
versatile. Ovary sessile, thinly hairy with long 
simple hairs; ovules 4-7; style glabrous, curved; 
stigma small, terminal. Pod olivaceous, indehiscent, 
flat, oblong or orbicular, 30-55 mm long, 30-35 mm 
wide, venation reticulate. Seeds brown, 1-2, broadly 
reniform. Flowering: Aug - Nov; fruiting: Nov - Dec. 
Fig. 20 
Occurs from Africa through Asia to northern 
Australia (NT and Qld). A mangrove species; in the 
DR known from the Adelaide R. This and other 
Derris species have been used as fish poisons and 
contain the chemical rotenone, the active ingredient 
in the insecticide Derris dust (Burkill, 1966; 
Wightman, 1989). 
DESMODIUM Desv. 
Annual or perennial shrubs or herbs. Stipules usually persistent, striate, attenuate. Indumentum variously of 
minute, short or long hooked, simple or glandular-septate hairs. Leaves 1-foliolate, pinnately 3-foliolate or 
apparently digitately 3-foliolate, discolorous; stipels persistent, usually minute, basal leaflets usually subequal 
to terminal. Inflorescence terminal or axillary, usually racemose, rarely paniculate or fasciculate; bracts caducous 
or persistent, striate, attenuate, similar to stipules; bracteoles present or absent. Calyx lobes 5, or 4 with the 
upper lobe shallowly or deeply bifid. Corolla yellow, pink-purple or white, glabrous; standard rarely with 
calli; wings usually without lamellae, + adhering to keel; keel usually incurved, lower margins of keel petals 
variously adhering towards apex, obtuse. Stamens 9+1, upper stamen sometimes variously adhering to the 
sheath to form a partial tube; filaments alternately long and short; anthers uniform, fixed near base, versatile. 
Ovary sessile, usually hairy; ovules 1-8; style inflexed or incurved, glabrous or rarely hairy in lower half; 
stigma terminal, capitate. Pod articulated, straight or curved, oblong, usually flattened, venation usually 
prominently reticulate; articles usually indehiscent, less commonly dehiscent along the lower suture. Seeds 
longitudinal in pod; hilum mostly central and usually with a minute brown annulus; ecarunculate. 
A genus of c. 300 species found in tropical and subtropical areas. About 28 species occur in Australia with 
15 species known from the DR. All 19 species known from the NT are treated in this account. 
