Kummerowia striata
| Kummerowia striata | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Late Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Nitrogen Fixer | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Kummerowia striata (common name: common lespedeza)
Propagation: Seed - pre-soak for 12 hours in warm water and sow in situ in mid spring.
Cultivation: We have very little information on this species but it should succeed as a spring-sown annual in Britain. See the plants native habitat for ideas on its cultivation needs.
Plants sometimes produce cleistogamous flowers.
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[1]. When removing plant remains at the end of the growing season, it is best to only remove the aerial parts of the plant, leaving the roots in the ground to decay and release their nitrogen.
Range: E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea, Manchuria.
Habitat: Waste ground and roadsides all over Japan[2]. Clayey, sandy and gravelly soils, riverbanks, roadsides and non-populated areas, always in large quantities[3].
Edibility: Seed - cooked. The seed can be ground into a meal and used with cereal flours in making bread etc[4][5]. The seed contains 26.4 - 51.9% protein and 4.3 - 7.3% fat[6].
Young plant - cooked[4][5]. A nutritional analysis is available[6].
Medicinal: The whole plant is used medicinally as a diuretic, for reducing fever, and treating diarrhea[7]. A decoction of the plant is used in the treatment of extreme physical debility and swellings[6]. It is boiled with Centella asiatica and Prunella vulgaris for the treatment of dysentery, headache and vertigo[6]. A broth is used to improve the appetite[6].
Usage: The plant is fast growing and has an extensive root system. It has been widely used, especially in N. America, for restoring fertility to worn-out soils[8].
Pollinators: Insects, cleistogomy
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Mid Fall-Late Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: Hedysarum striatum. Lespedeza striata. (Thunb.)Hook.&Arn.
Links
References
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Ohwi, Jisaburo. Flora of Japan. Smithsonian Institution, 1965.
- ↑ Komarov, Vladimir. Flora of the USSR. Gantner Verlag, 1968.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.