Japanese arrowroot
Dolichos trilobus

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A bean plant. It is a twining herb. It keeps growing from year to year from root tubers. The leaves are compound with 3 leaflets. The leaf stalks are 2-3 cm long. The leaflets are 4 sided and 2-6 cm long by 2-5 cm wide. The flowering shoots are in the axils of leaves and there are 1-4 flowers in a group. The fruit is a pod 6 cm long by 8 mm wide. It is slightly curved. There are 6-7 seeds.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in grassland and bushland. It grows from sea level to 1,200 m above sea level in Tanzania.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Arabia, Asia, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa, China, East Africa, East Timor, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Kenya, Laos, Malawi, Middle East, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nigeria, Philippines, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, SE Asia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Uganda, Vietnam, West Africa, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The seeds are edible. They are collected and cooked while fresh or after being dried in the sun.

Edible parts

Tubers, roots, seeds

How it is grown

It can be grown from fresh seed.

Dried seeds can be stored for several months.

Its other names

Local names

Dau ba-thuy, Kattupayer, Minna, Timbaweni, Van kurthi

Synonyms

Dolichos andongensis Welw. ex Baker; Dolichos cristatus Miq.; Dolichos debilis Hochst. ex A. Rich.; Dolichos falcatus Willd.; Dolichos kosyunensis Hosok.; Dolichos schliebenii Harms; Dolichos tuberosus Roxb.; Vigna tenuis Franch.;