Glycine tabacina
| Glycine tabacina | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Native to: | |
| Nitrogen Fixer | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Glycine tabacina
Propagation: Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and then sow in early spring in a greenhouse. The seed should germinate within two weeks at a temperature between 12 - 16°c[1]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cultivation: We have almost no information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in this country. It is hardy to at least -7°c in Australian gardens[2], though this cannot be translated directly to British gardens because of our cooler summers and longer, colder and wetter winters.
Plants are likely to need a well-drained soil and a warm sunny sheltered position.
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[3].
Range: E. Asia - China to Australia in all the mainland states.
Edibility: Root - raw or cooked. Said to have a liquorice-like flavour, it is chewed by the Australian Aborigines[4][5]. Starchy but very fibrous and with no noticeable flavour[4].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ Larkcom, Joy. Oriental Vegetables. John Murray, 1991.
- ↑ Wrigley, John and Murray Fagg. Australian Native Plants. Collins, 1988.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Cribb, Alan and Joan Cribb. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana, 1976.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.