Common name
Mandarin: 钩柄狸尾豆 (gou bing li wei dou)
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae (2715)
Phylum: Tracheophyta (2630)
Class: Magnoliopsida (2217)
Order: Fabales (244)
Family: Fabaceae (244)(family description)
Genus: Uraria (5)
Epithet: rufescens (DC.)Schindl. (3)
Synonyms: Desmodium horsfieldii Miq., Desmodium rufescens sensu Wight & Arn., Doodia hamosa Roxb., Doodia simplicifolia Roxb., Meibomia rufescens Kuntze, Uraria gracilis Prain, Uraria hamosa (Roxb.)Wight & Arn., Uraria paniculata Hassk.
gracilis => slender, graceful
hamosa => hooked, hook-shaped
horsfieldii => in honor of Dr Thomas Horsfield (1773–1859), American physician and naturalist who collected in Java and Sumatra
paniculata => having panicles or tufts of flowers
rufescens => reddish
simplicifolia => simple leaves
Characteristics
Climate: tropical
Habit: herb, shrub
Flower colour: purple, white