Wild soybean
Desmodium podocarpum

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A small shrub. It grows 60-120 cm high. The branches are hairy. The leaves have 3 leaflets. The leaf stalk is 7.5 cm long and the leaflets are 7.5 cm long. The side leaflets are smaller. The pods are 1.6 cm long.

There are about 350 Desmodium species. They are mostly in the tropics.

Where it is found

It is native to the hills of western Hubei growing at altitudes of 500-1,900 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, Himalayas, Indochina, Japan, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, SE Asia, Taiwan, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The seeds are eaten.

Edible parts

Seeds

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Trangqua trai-co-chan

Synonyms

Desmodium racemosum (Thunb.) DC.; Hedysarum racemosum Thunb.;