Desmodium

• Region

  Oceania

• Country

  Vanuatu

• State/Province

  Tafea

• County/Municipio

  Whitesands Tanna Area Council

• Locality

  Tanna Island, Southeast Tanna, Iataukwei Village

• Elevation

  Alt. 229 m. (751 ft.)

• Coordinates

  -19.5764, 169.457

• Distribution

  Map all specimens of this taxon

P4C
/<~Z.
New York Botanical Garden: NY
Vanuatu National Herbarium: PVNH
The Flora of Vanuatu
(Fabaceae)
Desmodium
Vanuatu: Tafea Province. Tanna Island. Southeast
Tanna, Iataukwei Village.
S 19° 34.581’; E 169° 27.393’; 229 m elev.
Herb to 50 cm, flowers pink, fruits green. Duplicates: 2.
Michael J. Balick, #4721	March 6,2015
Philemon Ala, Sam Natou
A collaboration ofNYBG and PVNH, funded by The Christensen Fund,
The National Geographic Society, and The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund.
N.V. Kwanapit [Nafe]
leaf This plant is used to treat diarrhea. A per-
son takes 1 handful of leaves, washes the soil
off, chews them and gets the juice out of the
leaves, spits out the fibers and left over parts of
the leaves. Chew this regularly until the diarrhea
goes away if a person has a bad case; for a mild
case, chew only once. It is said that a person has
to “listen to the plant” until the diarrhea stops.
It is also said to be better for this condition than
Psidium guajava.
Source: Sam Natou (M, 55)
New York Botanical Garden: NY
Vanuatu National Herbarium: PVNH
The Ethnobotany of Vanuatu
Michael J. Balick #4721
03468682