''Derris eliptica'' is a species of leguminous plant from
Southeast Asia and the southwest Pacific islands, including
New Guinea. The roots of ''D. elliptica'' contain
rotenone, a strong insecticide and fish poison.
Also known as ''derris powder'' and ''tuba root'' (in Indonesia), it was formerly used as an
organic
Organic may refer to:
* Organic, of or relating to an organism, a living entity
* Organic, of or relating to an anatomical organ
Chemistry
* Organic matter, matter that has come from a once-living organism, is capable of decay or is the product ...
insecticide used to control pests on crops such as peas. However, due to studies revealing the extreme toxicity of rotenone to which the powder is often refined, it is unsafe: in spite of its popularity with organic growers.
Derris root, when crushed, releases rotenone. Some native residents of Fiji and New Guinea practice a form of fishing in which they crush the roots and throw them into the water. The stunned or killed fish float to the surface where they can be easily reached.
Despite its toxicity, ''Derris'' is used as a food plant by
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...
n
larvae including ''
Batrachedra amydraula
''Batrachedra amydraula'', the lesser date moth, is a species of moth of the family Batrachedridae found from Bangladesh to western Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Israel, Iraq, and Iran, as well as most of North Africa.
The wingspan is 10–14 mm.
T ...
''.
Subspecies
The following subspecies are listed:
[Roskov Y., Kunze T., Orrell T., Abucay L., Paglinawan L., Culham A., Bailly N., Kirk P., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Decock W., De Wever A., Didžiulis V. (ed) (2014). ”Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2014 Annual Checklist.”. Species 2000: Reading, UK]
/ref>
* ''D. e. chittagongensis''
* ''D. e. elliptica''
* ''D. e. malacensis''
* ''D. e. tonkinensis''
See also
*"Derris" insecticides based on rotenone
References
External links
{{Taxonbar, from=Q11128689
Millettieae
Flora of tropical Asia
Plant toxin insecticides