Mucuna bracteata

DC.

FabaceaeSeeds/NutsPotential hazards — see below

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Seeds

The seeds are cooked and eaten as a vegetable.

Known Hazards

Mucuna species often possess irritant hairs on the seedpods and sometimes on the flowers and other parts. These hairs consist of 1-2 small basal cells and a large needle-like top cell. The top cell breaks off easily, piercing the skin and injecting chemical compounds that are present in the hairs. The proteolytic enzyme 'Mucunain' is said to be the active agent. The hairs can contaminate clothes or other objects, and remain active when dried, though they can be destroyed by heat. Intense itching, with reddening of the skin and small papules or urticaria occur a few minutes after contact with the hairy parts of the plant. There is no serious danger, unless the hairs get into the eye, in which case, in extreme situations, they have caused blindness. To remove the hairs from the skin, adhesive tape and washing with water and soap are considered useful. Dermatitis can be treated with corticosteroid ointment. See a doctor immediately if hairs go into the eyes.

Where to Find It

It is a subtropical plant. It grows in forests and by rivers between 600-2,000 m above sea level. In Yunnan.

Asia, China, India, Indochina, Laos, Myanmar, Northeastern India, SE Asia, Thailand, Vietnam,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bhutan, China, Georgia, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mongolia, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen

How to Identify

A twining herb. The leaves are 14-30 cm long. They have leaflets. The flowering shoots are in the axils of leaves and are 18-41 cm long. The flowers are clustered along these. They are deep purple. The pod is narrow and 6-9 cm long by 1-2 cm wide. There are 3-6 dark brown seeds. These are 9 mm long by 6 mm wide and 4 mm thick.

How to Grow

Prefers a well-drained, moist, humus-rich soil and a position in full sun or partial shade. This species is extremely similar to Mucuna pruriens, and is only distinguished by the thickly textured robust-veined ovate-rhombic leaflets with indumentum abaxially conspicuously sparser on the veins than on the leaf surface, the lower part of the inflorescence with many flowerless nodes with scars or persistent bracts, and the almost straight legume.

Medicinal Uses

The seeds are considered by some ethnic groups to have aphrodisiac properties. The hairs on the seedpods are used as a medicine to expel intestinal worms.

Other Uses

The plant is used as a cover crop in rubber and palm oil plantations. It is fast growing, has moderate drought resistance and shade tolerance and forms a thick cover which suppresses weeds.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Mucuna bracteata is a species of leguminous plant in the family Fabaceae. It is a nitrogen-regulating plant that is used in agroecosystems operating around certain types of agricultural plant systems including: rubber trees, oil palm, citrus and coconut. M. bracteate is a cover crop which helps to cover and shield the soil from weeds or plants, as well as providing rapid growth for existing agricultural crops, preventing soil erosion, and providing nitrogen fixation. The Mucuna bracteata crop grows about 10–15 cm/day in conditions similar to those that rubber and palm oil plants thrive in. Mucuna bracteata grows in a warm and humid ecosystem, at a temperature of about 20-35 degrees Celsius, and consistent annual rainfall. Originating in the North Eastern areas of India, M. bracteata has been introduced into Hevea rubber plantations in India and oil palm plantations in Malaysia. This plant has the potential to increase soil fertility and health through the processes of natural soil fertilization and aeration, furthermore, providing a sustainable water retention level for the soil beyond the current conditions of the rubber and palm oil plantation fields.

Names & Synonyms

Nwe-bok, Wakmi, Wee-te

Carpopogon bracteatum Roxb.Mucuna brevipes CraibMucuna exserta C. E. C. Fisch.Mucuna venulosa (Piper) Merr. & F. P MetcalfStizolobium venulosum Piper

References (1)

Singh, B., et al, 2012, Wild edible plants used by Garo tribes of Nokrek Biosphere Reserve in Meghalaya, India. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge. 11(1) pp 166-171