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The Common christia belongs to Fabaceae (the Pea family). It is a decidous shrub that is distributed from Guangdong Province to Guangxi Province in southern China, Hainan Island, and the southern Indochina Peninsula. It grows in mountainous shrublands and grasslands and is 50-90 cm tall. The leaves are trifoliate, but often only the apical leaflet is present. The apical leaflet is shaped like the wings of an airplane. From March to May, it produces inflorescences with small white flowers. The fruit is a capsule that bears from October to December. In China, the whole plant is used in Chinese herbal medicine. Its Chinese name is "蝙蝠草" (bian fu cao). It is also known as "Koumori-hoozuki" in Japan.
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