Back to main Search Page

Amphicarpaea edgeworthii - Benth.

Author	Benth.	Botanical references	58
Family	Leguminosae	Genus	Amphicarpaea
Synonyms	Amphicarpaea japonica - Benth. Falcata japonica - (Oliv.)Kom.
Known Hazards	None known
Range	E. Asia - Japan, Himalayas
Habitat	Woods and shaded places in lowland all over Japan.
Edibility Rating	4 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	0 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 1.5m.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) or semi-shade (light woodland). It requires moist soil.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Deep Shade; Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Seed; Seedpod.

Seed and seedpods - cooked[46, 61, 105, 177]. The seedpods are harvested when green and used for food[2].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

None known

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 in many parts of the country. There is some confusion over the correct name for this species, we have followed the treatment given in 'Flora of Japan'[58], but A. japonica is the name cited in 'Legumes of Northern Eurasia'[261]. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Requires a moist humus-rich soil in a shady position[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

Seed - pre-soak for 12 hours in warm water and then sow in spring in a semi-shaded position in a greenhouse. Germination usually takes place within a few weeks. When 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 in late spring or early summer. Division. We have been unable to divide this plant because it only makes a small taproot. However, many of the seeds are produced under the ground and these can be harvested like tubers and potted up to make more plants.

Links

References

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[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.

[261] Yakovlev. G. Sytin. A. & Roskov. Yu. Legumes of Northern Eurasia Royal Botanic gardens, Kew. 1996 ISBN 0-947643-97-4
For the academic only, a list of species growing in N. Eurasia with terse details on habitat, range, uses etc.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Amphicarpaea edgeworthii

Gyuhwa Chung Thu Nov 30 2006

Amphicarpaea edgeworthii is growing everywhere in Korea. This species is annual, not perennial plant. In Korea, the seeds are used for pain-killer. Gyuhwa Chung, Professor chung@chonnam.ac.kr

Jeju Hanra Garden, Korea

Amphicarpaea edgeworthii

Gyuhwa Chung Wed Dec 6 2006

Amphicarpaea edgeworthii is growing everywhere in Korea. This species is annual, not perennial plant. In Korea, the seeds are used for pain-killer. Gyuhwa Chung, Professor http://sumokwon.jeju.go.kr/plantdata/search_view.asp?code1=C02&code2=99&code3=1118 Jeju Hanra Garden, Korea

Add a comment/link:

Discussion Monitor

To have posts to this page mailed to you enter your email address here:

(Your email address will not appear on the webpage or be passed on to third parties).