Mucuna pruriens

Mucuna pruriens is a tropical legume native to Africa and tropical Asia and widely naturalized and cultivated. Its English common names include monkey tamarind, velvet bean, Bengal velvet bean, Florida velvet bean, Mauritius velvet bean, Yokohama velvet bean, cowage, cowitch, lacuna bean, and Lyon bean.

Mucuna pruriens
Mucuna pruriens inflorescence
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Mucuna
Species:
M. pruriens
Binomial name
Mucuna pruriens
Synonyms
  • Carpogon capitatus Roxb.
  • Carpogon niveus Roxb.
  • Carpopogon capitatus Roxb.
  • Carpopogon niveum Roxb.
  • Carpopogon pruriens (L.) Roxb.
  • Dolichos pruriens L.
  • Macranthus cochinchinensis Lour.
  • Marcanthus cochinchinense Lour.
  • Mucuna aterrima (Piper & Tracy) Holland
  • Mucuna atrocarpa F.P.Metcalf
  • Mucuna axillaris Baker
  • Mucuna bernieriana Baill.
  • Mucuna capitata Wight & Arn.
  • Mucuna cochinchinense (Lour.) A.Chev.
  • Mucuna cochinchinensis (Lour.) A.Chev.
  • Mucuna deeringiana (Bort) Merr.
  • Mucuna esquirolii H. Lév.
  • Mucuna esquirolii H.Lev.
  • Mucuna hassjoo (Piper & Tracy) Mansf.
  • Mucuna hirsuta Wight & Arn.
  • Mucuna luzoniensis Merr.
  • Mucuna lyonii Merr.
  • Mucuna martinii H.Lev. & Vaniot
  • Mucuna minima Haines
  • Mucuna nivea (Roxb.) DC.
  • Mucuna nivea (Roxb.) Wight & Arn.
  • Mucuna prurita (L.) Hook.
  • Mucuna prurita Wight
  • Mucuna sericophylla Perkins
  • Mucuna utilis Wight
  • Mucuna velutina Hassk.
  • Negretia mitis Blanco
  • Stizolobium aterrimum Piper & Tracy
  • Stizolobium capitatum (Roxb.) Kuntze
  • Stizolobium cochinchinense (Lour.) Burk
  • Stizolobium deeringianum Bort
  • Stizolobium hassjoo Piper & Tracy
  • Stizolobium hirsutum (Wight & Arn.) Kuntze
  • Stizolobium niveum (Roxb.) Kuntze
  • Stizolobium pruriens (L.) Medik.
  • Stizolobium pruritum (Wight) Piper
  • Stizolobium utile (Wall. ex Wight) Ditmer
  • Stizolobium velutinum (Hassk.) Piper & Tracy

The plant is notorious for the extreme itchiness it produces on contact, particularly with the young foliage and the seed pods. It also produces many medium-sized red swollen bumps along with the itching. It has agricultural and horticultural value and is used in herbalism.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.