Volume 4 > Part 3.3 > Year 2023 > Page 655 > Leguminosae-Papilionoideae > Pueraria

5. Pueraria montana (Lour.) Merr.wfo-0000185101

Trans. Am. Philos. Soc. n.s. 24-2: 210. 1935; Huang & Ohashi, Fl. Taiwan 3: 367. 1977; Thuân in Aubrév. & J.-F.Leroy, Fl. Cambodge, Laos, Vietnam 17: 80. 1979; Ohashi et al. in Sci. Rep. Tohoku Univ. ser. 4, 38: 326. 1984; 39(1): 65. 1985; 39(3): 236. 1988.— Dolichos montanus Lour., Fl. Cochinchin. 2: 440. 1790.— Pachyrhizus montanus (Lour.) DC., Prodr. 2: 402. 1825.— Stizolobium montanum (Lour.) Spreng., Syst. 3: 352. 1826.— Pueraria lobata var. montana (Lour.) Maesen, Agric. Univ. Wageningen Pap. 85(1): 53–58. 1985, nom. illeg.; S.F. Huang & T.C.Huang, Taiwania 32: 91. 1987.— P. montana var. montana Maesen in M.Sørensen, Proc. 1st Int. Symp. Tuber. Legumes: 64. 1994 & in Keung, Pueraria: The genus Pueraria: 13. 2002; Wu & Thulin in C.Y.Wu et al., Fl. China 10: 246. 2010. Plate LXVII: 1–2.

Accepted Name : This is currently accepted.

Synonyms & Citations :

Description : Woody climber; roots sub-tuberous, clustered with nodules; branches up to 20 m long, pubescent with appressed to spreading hairs. Stipules ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate obtuse, (1–)1.5–2.5 cm by 4–7 mm, apex acute to acuminate, base entire to fringed or sometimes bifid, persistent to late caducous. Leaves: petioles 10–15 cm long, rachis 1.5–4 cm long. Leaflets coriaceous, terminal leaflet ovate-rhomboid to often narrower than long, 9–18 by 6–12 cm; lateral leaflets smaller, asymmetric, apex acutely acuminate, base rounded, upper surface pubescent to glabrescent, lower surface pubescent to silvery-tomentose; lateral veins 4–5 pairs, transverse veinlets; petiolules with the terminal 15–40 mm long, laterals 5 mm long; stipels linear to awl-shaped, 4–12(–15) by 0.5–1.5 mm. Flowering while in leaf. Inflorescences 1 pseudoraceme, sometimes 1-few branched at lower nodes, usually longer than leaves, reaching up to 40 cm long in total length; peduncles 2–8(–12) cm long, with dense short and long brown or yellowish hairs, densely flowered above; bracts ovate-acute, 1.5–2 mm, shorter than bracteoles, densely yellow hairy; pedicels 1.5–3 mm long, hairy. Flowers 8–12(–15) mm long; bracteoles ovate-acute, (1–)3–5 by 1–2 mm, striate. Calyx 7–10(–11) mm long, outside tawny-hairy, inside glabrous; tube 2.5–4(–5) mm long; lobes 4, triangular-lanceolate, the 4 lobes slightly unequal, a little longer than the tube; lower lobe slightly longer. Corolla: standard purplish to deep red-purple or maroon, with yellow spot in throat, orbicular to broadly ovate, sides moderately to strongly reflexed, 8–12(–15) by (7–)8–14 mm, shortly auriculate; wings darkening towards apex, narrowly oblong, subequal to standard in length, distinctly longer than keel, 1–2(–3) mm wide, base auricle 1–1.5 mm long, apex rounded; keel falcate to crescent-shaped, acute to obtuse at the apex, shorter than and ca 2x wider than wings, base truncate-auriculate on tabs. Stamens diadelphous, awl-shaped, ascendant. Ovary curved, hairy, 13–19-ovuled; stigma thickened, glabrous. Pods linear, flattened, 4–9(–10) cm by 5–8(–9) mm, covered with dense brown hairs, apex acuminate, base truncate to rounded. Seeds brown to black, compressed, suborbicular, 2–4 by 1–3.5 mm, ca 1 mm thick.

Thailand : Found throughout, but more especially in northern, north-eastern, south-western, and central provinces.

Distribution : India, Myanmar, China, Japan, Taiwan, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam (type), the Philippines (Batan Islands), Papua New Guinea.

Ecology : Trailing or climbing along forest edge in shrubs and trees, along streams or lakes, over limestone rocks, and in open deciduous scrub jungle or down steep hills or cliff sides.

Vernacular : Phak phit lek (ผักผีดเล็ก).

Notes: See note under Pueraria lobata. Apart from differences noted in the key, P. montana is set apart from P. lobata by having sides of the banner reflexed backwards. Pueraria montana flowers are a dark magenta whereas P. lobata tends more towards purple, blue-purple, or lavender. Glycine javanica L. non Pueraria javanica Benth. is clearly a synonym of Neonotonia wightii (Arn.) J.A.Lackey. Pueraria javanica (Benth.) is a synonym of Neustanthus phaseoloides var. javanica (Benth.) A.N.Egan & B.Pan.