Astragalus sinicus

What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves, Seeds, Flowers

Edible Parts: Leaves Seed Edible Uses: Young leaves - cooked. Seed. No more details on its use. The seed contains 36.6% protein and 5.3% fat.

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

A warm temperate plant. It grows near paddy fields. It requires a dry well drained soil in a sunny position. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Asia, China, Europe, France, Greece, Indochina, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mediterranean, SE Asia, Taiwan, Vietnam,

How to Identify

A low herb. It is a plant which has a 2 year life-cyle. It grows to 25 cm high. The leaves have leaflets along the stalk. The flowers are on stalks above the leaves. They are pink.

How to Grow

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it could succeed outdoors in many parts of this country. This species used to be cultivated for its edible leaves in China, it is cultivated as a soil improver and green manure in Japan. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Requires a dry well-drained soil in a sunny position. Plants are intolerant of root disturbance and are best planted in their final positions whilst still small. 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. Many members of this genus can be difficult to grow, this may be due partly to a lack of their specific bacterial associations in the soil.

Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. A period of cold stratification may help stored seed to germinate. Stored seed, and perhaps also fresh seed, should be pre-soaked for 24 hours in hot water before sowing - but make sure that you do not cook the seed. Any seed that does not swell should be carefully pricked with a needle, taking care not to damage the embryo, and re-soaked for a further 24 hours. Germination can be slow and erratic but is usually within 4 - 9 weeks or more at 13°c if the seed is treated or sown fresh. As soon as it is large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter, planting them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.

Medicinal Uses

Miscellany The plant is used in the treatment of blennorrhoea and also as an unguent for burns.

Other Uses

Green manure Miscellany This species is grown as a green manure crop in Japan and southern China. Special Uses Nitrogen Fixer

Astragalus sinicus is a species of milkvetch in the family Fabaceae. It is known under such common names as Chinese milkvetch (or milk-vetch), renge or genge and is in common use in farming as a green manure. It is not to be confused with Astragalus mongholicus, the plant yielding Radix Astragali for Chinese medicine.

Notes

In soils with high levels of selenium these plants can accumulate toxic levels of selenium. The plants growing in rice fields in China produce a favourite kind of honey. There are 2,000 Astragalus species.

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