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Derris

Genus of legumes

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
1 min read
Source updated October 14, 2023
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Derris is genus of leguminous plants. It contains 65 species, which range from eastern Africa to the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, northern Australia, and the southwest Pacific islands. The roots of D. elliptica contain rotenone, a strong insecticide and fish poison.

Despite the secondary compounds found in Derris, they serve as food plants for many Lepidopteran larvae including Batrachedra spp.

01Species

65 species are currently accepted:

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Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Derris”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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Related topics

Rotenone

Rotenone is an organic compound that has been described as "by far the most important rotenoid." It is an odorless, colorless, crystalline isoflavone. It occurs naturally in the seeds and stems of several plants, such as the jicama vine, and in the roots of several other members of the Fabaceae.