Callerya cinerea

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A shrub. It grows 6 m tall. The stems are rough and have ridges. The leaves have 5 leaflets. The leaflets are oval and vary from 6 cm long by 3 cm wide at the base to 15 cm long by 7 cm wide at the end. The flowers are in groups 10-15 cm long at the ends of branches. The flowers are 1.5 cm across. The pods are long and narrow. They are 13 cm long by 2 cm wide and contracted between the seeds. There are 1-4 seeds. These are oval and dark violet. They are about 15 cm across.

There are about 90 Millettia species.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. In SW China it grows in secondary evergreen broad-leaved forests by rivers between 500-1,200 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, SE Asia, Thailand, Tibet, Vietnam

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Seeds

How it is grown

In southern China plants flower February to July and fruit August to November.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Millettia cinerea Benth.; Millettia congestiflora T. P. Chen; Millettia dielsiana Diels; Millettia dorwardii Collett & Hemsley; Millettia gentiliana A. Leveille; Millettia longipedinculata Z. Wei; Millettia obovata Gagnepain; Millettia oosperma Dunn; Millettia sericosema Hance; Millettia sphaerosperma Z. Wei;