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Pueraria montana chinensis

Common name:	Mealy Kudzu	Family:	Leguminosae
Author:	Maesen.&S.M.Almeida.	Botanical references:
Synonyms:	Pueraria thomsonii (Benth.), Pueraria lobata thomsonii ((Benth.)Maesen.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - eastern Himalayas from Sikkim to the Khasia Hills at an elevation of 1,500 - 2,100 metres.
Habitat:	Not known
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	3

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Dolichos hirsutus[G] Dolichos lobatus[G,P] Neustanthus chinensis[G] P. hirsuta[G,P] P. lobata[B,G,,P] P. lobata var. chinensis[G] P. lobata var. thomsonii[B,G,P] P. montana var. chinensis[G] P. montana var. lobata[B,G,P] P. thunbergiana[B,G,P] Pachyrhizus thunbergianus[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Kudzu [FEIS,P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	montana = of mountains;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Fabales. Renamed to Fabaceae -- Pea family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial Climber growing to 2m. . The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. It can fix Nitrogen. We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 3/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Cultivated Beds, Sunny Edge.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antipyretic; Antispasmodic; Diaphoretic; Hypotensive.

The flowers are used in the treatment of thirst, high fever, abdominal fullness, nausea and vomiting due to alcohol poisoning[176].
The root is antipyretic, antispasmodic, diaphoretic and hypotensive[176]. It is used in the treatment f common colds with discomfort and pain in the neck and back, febrile diseases, diabetes, hypertensive headaches, coronary heart diseases and measles[176].
The root contains puerarin. This increases the blood flow to the coronary artery and protects against acute myocardial ischaemia caused by the injection of pituitrin (hypophysin)[176].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

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 should succeed outdoors at least in the milder parts of this country. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.
Requires a sunny position in a well-drained soil[200].
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[200].

Propagation

Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and sow in a warm greenhouse in early spring. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out after the last expected frosts[200]. Cover the young plants with a frame or cloche until they are growing away well.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

Latin and Worldwide Common Names From Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database by M. H. Porcher et. al. 1995 - 2000 Landcare Systems Research Laboratory, Department of Crop Production,Institute of Land and Food Resources, The University of Melbourne, Australia.

References for Pueraria montana var. chinensis (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

References for Pueraria montana var. lobata (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[FEIS] Data (Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.

References for Pueraria thomsonii (a possible synonym).

[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[176] Yeung. Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, Los Angeles 1985
A very good Chinese herbal.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

Readers Comments

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Bibliography

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Pueraria+montana+chinensis
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Pueraria+montana+chinensis

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