Desmodium repandum

 

photo: afriorchids

A rare-in-the-trade plant, there’s hardly any information out there about Desmodium. What we do know is that it has very pretty unusual orange pea flowers about 1/2” wide that appears on loose airy spikes that get to be 1’ long, appearing in Summer. Grows as a trailing & spilling shrublet. We’re not sure how big it will get, although I’m thinking it will reach 2-3’ tall & wide but it’s possible it could get much bigger. Native to forest edges of West tropical Africa where it is used as a healing herb for the stomach & for mental disorders. I think this would make a great candidate for spilling out of the edge of a pot where you can see the charming flowers up close.

Kelly Kilpatrick
Horticultralist