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Vigna angularis

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Vigna angularis (Willd.) Ohwi & H.Ohashi

Family Name: Fabaceae (Leguminosae)
Synonyms: Phaseolus angularis (Willd.) W.F. Wight
Common Name: Adzuki Bean, Red Bean, 红豆, 赤豆

Name

Family Name
Genus Epithet
Species Epithet
Name Authority
Name Status (botanical)
Synonyms
Common Names
Comments

Classifications and Characteristics

Plant Division Angiosperms (Flowering Seed Plants) (Dicotyledon)
Plant Growth Form Climber, Vine & Liana
Lifespan (in Singapore) Annual
Mode of Nutrition Autotrophic
Chromosome Number 22

Biogeography

Native Distribution Asia
Native Habitat Terrestrial
Local Conservation Status Non-native (Horticultural / Cultivated Only)

Description and Ethnobotany

Growth Form An annual vine, it has an erect to twining growth habit and is usually bushy. The plant grown up to 25 to 90cm tall when erect.
Foliage The leaves are trifoliate with ovate to ovate-rhomboid leaflets and are alternately arranged along the stem.  
Flowers The flowers are bright yellow and are borne on axillary racemes in 6 to 12 flowers. The flowers are pea-shaped (papilionaceous). 
Fruit The fruit is a pendulous pod or legume which is slightly constricted between the seeds. The small, oblong seeds are smooth and dull red in colour with a white, umimpressed hilum and rounded ends. The seeds can be kept for 2 years and still be viable.
Cultivation It can be grown in a wide range of soils, in pH of 5.0 to 7.5 and in temperatures of 15 to 30°C under full sun. 
Ethnobotanical Uses Edible Plant Parts : Edible Seeds
Food (Fruit & Vegetable): The dried seeds are cooked and used to make confections such as soup or are made into mooncake paste which is eaten during the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. The seeds are also ground into flour which is used in cakes, confections, shampoo and facial products. The immature sprouted seeds are also eaten as a vegetable.  
Medicinal: In China, the seeds are used to treat several diseases such as kidney trouble, constipation, abscesses and threatened miscarriage. The leaves are also said to alleviate fever while the sprouts are used to avert threatened abortion caused by injury.   

Landscaping Features

Landscape Uses General, Container Planting
Thematic Landscaping Economic Garden

Plant Care and Propagation

Light Preference Full Sun
Water Preference Moderate Water
Rootzone Tolerance Moist Soils, Well-Drained Soils
Propagation Method Seed

Foliar

Foliage Retention Evergreen
Mature Foliage Colour(s) Green
Mature Foliage Texture(s) Smooth, Hairy / Hirsute
Foliar Type Compound (Trifoliate)
Foliar Arrangement Along Stem Alternate
Foliar Attachment to Stem Petiolate
Foliar Margin Pinnately Lobed / Pinnatifid

Floral (Angiosperm)

Flower & Plant Sexuality Bisexual Flowers
Flower Colour(s) Yellow / Golden
Flower Grouping Cluster / Inflorescence
Flower Location Axillary, Terminal
Inflorescence Type Raceme

Fruit, Seed and Spore

Mature Fruit Colour(s) Brown
Fruit Type Dehiscent Dry Fruit , Legume / Pod
Mature Seed Colour(s) Red
Seed Quantity Per Fruit Several (11-20)

Image Repository

Images

Others

Master ID 31454
Species ID 5851
Flora Disclaimer The information in this website has been compiled from reliable sources, such as reference works on medicinal plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment and NParks does not purport to provide any medical advice. Readers should always consult his/her physician before using or consuming a plant for medicinal purposes.
Species record last updated on: 20 August 2021.
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