Uraria is a genus of shrubs and subshrubs belonging to the legume family Fabaceae, within the subfamily Faboideae and the tribe Desmodieae. The genus comprises around 24 accepted species distributed across a broad tropical and subtropical range spanning sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, Indochina, China, Malesia, Papuasia, Australia, and the South Pacific. Plants in this genus typically grow in seasonally dry tropical woodlands and grasslands, and some species also colonise open forest edges, roadsides, and disturbed ground at elevations up to around 1,500 metres.
Members of Uraria are generally erect perennial herbs or subshrubs, with stems that become woody toward the base. The genus sits within Desmodieae, a tribe of the pea family notable for its often sticky or hooked fruit segments that aid seed dispersal by attachment to animals and clothing.
Several species have recorded ethnobotanical significance. Uraria crinita, one of the more widely distributed members, has a long history of use in traditional medicine across Southeast Asia and southern China, where different plant parts are employed against dysentery, fever, coughs, and internal swellings. The same species is occasionally grown as a green manure or garden ornamental. Other notable members of the genus include Uraria picta, Uraria lagopus, and Uraria lacei, all of which occur across the monsoonal and tropical regions of Asia.
Distribution
Uraria species are native to sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, Indochina, southern China, Malesia, Papuasia, northern Australia, and the South Pacific. The genus is predominantly concentrated in the seasonally dry tropics and subtropics of Asia, with Uraria crinita ranging from southern China through Southeast Asia to northern Australia.
Ecology
The genus favours seasonally dry tropical woodland and grassland, with some species also found in open forest, roadsides, and disturbed waste places. Uraria crinita occupies dry grassland, open forest, sandy soils, and occasional deciduous forest up to 1,500 metres elevation; it does not tolerate waterlogged conditions.
Cultural Uses
Several Uraria species have been used in traditional medicine across Asia. Uraria crinita is the best-documented: plant parts are employed in folk remedies for dysentery, diarrhoea, enlarged spleen and liver, tumours, pustules, and fistulae; the whole plant is also used to stop bleeding, reduce fever, and relieve coughs. The species is additionally cultivated as a green manure crop.
