Vigna minima
(Roxb.) Ohwi & H. Ohashi
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(c) Alexander Ganse, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Seeds, Flowers, Pods
The dry seeds are eaten; flowers and pods are also edible portions of the plant.
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It grows in thickets and among coarse grasses. In Yunnan.
Asia, Cambodia, China, Indochina, Japan, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, SE Asia, Taiwan, Vietnam,
How to Identify
A climbing herb. It can be 4-5 m long. It grows each year from seeds. The leaflets are narrow. The flowers are yellow. The pods are smooth.
How to Grow
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria; these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby.
Notes
There are about 150 Vigna species. They are mostly in the tropics.
Names & Synonyms
Dau-be, Sanneak prey
References (4)
- J. Jap. Bot. 44:30. 1969
- Pham-Hoang Ho, 1999, An Illustrated Flora of Vietnam. Nha Xuat Ban Tre. p 962
- PROSEA No. 1
- Verdcourt, B., 1979, Manual of New Guinea Legumes. Botany Bulletin No 11, Division of Botany, Lae, Papua New Guinea. p 520
