What kind of plant is the hundred-vein root of Orchid Island in Taiwan? What are the characteristics of the hundred vein root of Orchid Island? what does it look like?

The name of the hundred vein root of Orchid Island is special, and it is easy to make people wonder what the plant named after the hundred vein root looks like, which makes plant lovers always want to find out.

Fabaceae belongs to the genus Lotus, which belongs to the family Leguminosae. There are only two species in Taiwan, among which the flowers are bright yellow and grow in the low altitude area of northern Taiwan, while the flowers of Lanyu are white, which are only distributed in Lanyu and grow on coral reef rocks by the sea, and there are obvious differences between them in geographical distribution and morphological characteristics.

From the Chinese name, it is easy to give rise to the illusion that the Orchid Island hundred vein Root is endemic to Taiwan and is only distributed in the world. However, the Orchid Island hundred vein Root is not limited to Taiwan. In early studies, it was once thought that it was a widely distributed species. The northern boundary is located in the Ryukyu region of Japan and reaches as far south as the Philippines. The inference is based on the fact that its seeds can spread with ocean currents.

Although the distribution of the root of Orchid Island is not limited to Taiwan, the number of ethnic groups in Taiwan is quite rare. The Red Book list of Taiwan vascular plants in 2017 has rated the root of Orchid Island as a national vulnerability rating (NVU), making it one of the species that may be endangered in Taiwan.

The hundred vein root of Orchid Island is an annual, creeping herb that grows on coral reefs or seashore shell beaches, close to the coastline and at the forefront of seashore plant growth. Plants begin to sprout and grow in spring, blossom and bear fruit quickly, and disappear quickly after summer. The whole plant is slightly fleshy, the stem is round, thick and succulent, purplish red, white tomentose. The leaves are pinnately compound, composed of 5 leaflets, which are oblanceolate to narrowly Obovate, arranged closely with each other, the 2 leaflets near the base of the leaves are smaller and are often obscured by 3 larger leaflets, if not carefully observed, they are often mistaken for Ternate compound leaves, with fleshy leaves, the surface is light green to dark green, the back is white and obviously hairy, and the apex is slightly convex.

The hundred vein root of Orchid Island has long been a very famous rare plant. Botanists and plant lovers all went to Orchid Island to confirm its population distribution and its appearance growing on coral reef rocks. Because the appearance of the hundred pulse root of Orchid Island is special, it is not very difficult to identify, and its distribution environment is also clear. compared with rare plants growing in deep mountains, it should be easier to find, but things go contrary to one's wishes, and identification is easy to be killed. most people are still in vain on the coastline of Orchid Island.