Family: Fabaceae
Common name: Horse bush, Desmodium gold, Golden desmodium, Desmodium umbellatum, Desmodium gold, Desmodium umbellatum aureum
Horse bush has become a very popular ornamental bush or small tree these days, due to its bright, phosphorescent leaves. These trees are native to the tropical regions of Asia, and they can be grown in tropical weather anywhere in the world.
Tree Characteristics
Horse bushes only grow to a height of 3 meters, with a dark brown, well-branched stem that has vertical fissures. Leaves of the Horse bush are very pretty – phosphorescent green, each leaf having 3 ovate or egg-shaped leaflets that are 5-8 cm long.
The upper surface is smooth and glossy, while the lower surface has tiny hairs. Edges of the leaves are smooth; tender leaves are paler in color and droopy when young. Leaves look their brightest and best in good sunlight, losing color when grown in the shade.
Flowers of the horse bush are not as prominent or attractive as their leaves. They are small, white, about 1 cm in diameter with the typical structure of flowers in the Fabaceae family of Green peas and Beans.
They have 2 keel petals that are fused and folded in, 2 wing petals to either sides, and a large standard or banner petal folded outwards. Flowers are produced in clusters of 10-20 flowers with prominent stamens and style.
Fruit pods are 5-10 cm long with short, bulgy segments like beads on a necklace, each containing a single seed. Seeds are small, black in color, about 3-4 mm in size. Fruit pods are green and tender when they are young, maturing into a brown color, before they split open at the seams to release the seeds.
Fruits and seeds are not eaten by humans, but are eaten by birds and small animals that help in seed dispersal.
Gardening Tips
Horse bushes prefer bright sunlight for most part of the day to bring out the colors of the leaves. They are tolerant of a wide variety of growing conditions and soil types, growing by roadsides and abandoned areas.
They make good hedge trees since they can be pruned hard into desired shapes. Water the Horse bushes regularly during the early growth period to help the plant establish strong roots.
After the plant is established in the soil, they can be pretty much ignored, since these trees are sturdy and drought-tolerant.
Pruning can be done to ensure that the tree stays bushy and beautiful. They are relatively pest-tolerant, but tender leaves can be affected by different kinds of pests, as you can see in the photos on the page.
Uses of Horse Bushes
Horse Bushes are mostly grown as ornamental trees in home gardens, parks, and landscaped areas because of their bright, yellow-green, glowing foliage. They can be grown along the edges of the garden to give privacy and also to stop intruders as well as grazing animals.
Since these plants belong to the Green peas and Beans family of Fabaceae, their roots have nitrogen-fixing bacteria that can convert atmospheric nitrogen into nitrates and nitrites that can be absorbed by plants. This can help improve soil quality for other plants as well.
Their spreading roots can help prevent soil erosion by holding fast the topsoil to prevent it from washing away. The thick foliage of the Horse bushes provides shade and shelter for insects, birds, and small animals, along with food in the form of seedpods.
Propagation
Propagation is through seeds and stem cuttings.
Seeds collected from mature seed pods can be sown in moist soil to germinate. These seeds germinate quickly and can help produce numerous new plants.
15-20 cm long hardwood cuttings taken from healthy plants can root well in moist soil. Both methods of propagation are efficient and quick.
Photographed at: Kings Flora Organic Farm Resort, Wayanad
