Afgekia filipes

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A woody vine or shrub that lies along the ground. The bark is yellow and splits along its length. The stems are 20 m long. The leaves are 25-35 cm long with 17-19 leaflets. The leaflets are oblong and 6-10 cm long by 2-3.5 cm wide. The flowers are along the stem. The pods are spindle shaped and 17 cm long by 9 cm wide. They hang on the trunk. There is 1 dark brown kidney shaped seed in each pod.

Where it is found

It is a subtropical plant. In Yunnan. It grows between 200-1,300 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, Laos, Myanmar, SE Asia, Thailand, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The flowers are used as a potherb.

It is sold in local markets.

Edible parts

Flower

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Luo pai wang, Mei bie fang, Mie yi, Zhu yao dou

Synonyms

Adinobotrys filipes Dunn; Padbruggea filipes (Dunn) Craib; Whitfordiodendron filipes (Dunn) Dunn;