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Mucuna gigantea
Fabaceae FAMILY

Mucuna gigantea

Mucuna gigantea

Edibility
1/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

Mucuna species often possess irritant hairs on the seedpods and sometimes on the flowers and other parts. These hairs consist of 1-2 small basal cells and a large needle-like top cell. The top cell breaks off easily, piercing the skin and injecting chemical compounds that are present in the hairs. The proteolytic enzyme 'Mucunain' is said to be the active agent[1]. The hairs can contaminate clothes or other objects, and remain active when dried, though they can be destroyed by heat[2, 3, 4]. Intense itching, with reddening of the skin and small papules or urticaria occur a few minutes after contact with the hairy parts of the plant. There is no serious danger, unless the hairs get into the eye, in which case, in extreme situations, they have caused blindness. To remove the hairs from the skin, adhesive tape and washing with water and soap are considered useful. Dermatitis can be treated with corticosteroid ointment. See a doctor immediately if hairs go into the eyes[3]. These hairs are mentioned as being used in criminal poisoning in Malaysia[2]. Because of the presence of toxic compounds in the plant, it seems advisable to eat the seed only after prolonged soaking and boiling[2].

Cultivation Details

HabitClimber
GrowthFast

A plant mainly of tropical lowland areas, but is also found at elevations up to 1,800 metres in Africa. Mucuna species generally grow best in a shady position in a humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil[5]. Initial growth of the plant is rapid - seedlings may attain a height of more than 1 metre within 3 weeks[2]. The seeds are dispersed by sea currents[2]. All green plant parts, including the flowers, become black when bruised or dried[2]. A very variable plant[6]. 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[7].

Propagation

Seed - germinates quickly if the seed coat is scarified by making a small nick in it prior to sowing[8]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Mucuna+gigantea>

Pollinators

Humming birds

References

  1. [1]Notes on Malesian Fabaceae (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) 16. The genus Mucuna — Wiriadinata H.; Ohashi H.; Adema F. · 2016 · http://dx.doi.org/10.3767/000651916X692799 ↩︎An excellent treatment
  2. [2]Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. — http://www.prota.org ↩︎An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
  3. [3]Contact-Poisonous Plants of the World — Rohde. M. · 2006 · http://mic-ro.com/plants/ ↩︎A document on the internet. Gives brief information on about 35 species of plants that can cause severe problems from a single contact with the skin.
  4. [4]The Leguminosae; A Source Book of Characteristics, Uses and Nodulation — Allen O.N.; Allen E.K. · University of Wisconsin · 1981 · ISBN 0-333-32221-5 ↩︎An amazing and comprehensive work, giving a brief guide to the many genera of the family Fabaceae and also the principle uses of the genus.
  5. [5]Encyclopedia of Tropical Plants - Identification and Cultivation of over 3,000 Tropical Plants — Ahmed Fayaz · Firefly Books Ltd.; New Zealand · 2011 · ISBN 978-1-55407-489 ↩︎A good photograph and terse but detailed information for over 3,000 species of tropical plants. An excellent reference.
  6. [6]Flora Zambesiaca — http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html ↩︎An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants.
  7. [7]Nodulation Plants in GRIN Taxonomy — United States Department of Agriculture · http://www.ars-grin.gov/~sbmljw/cgi-bin/taxnodul.pl?language=en ↩︎An online database listing plants that have either positive or negative reports on root and stem nodulation with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
  8. [8]Brisbane Rainforest Action and Information Network, — http://www.brisrain.webcentral.com.au ↩︎Information on plants in the Queensland Rainforests.
  9. [9]Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants — http://www.anbg.gov.au/cpbr/cd-keys/rfk/index.html ↩︎An online resource giving botanical information, and a little bit about plant usage, for over 2,700 species of plants found in the Australian rainforest.
  10. [10]African Flowering Plants Database — Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques. · http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php ↩︎Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map.
  11. [11]Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. — Hedrick. U. P. · Dover Publications · 1972 · ISBN 0-486-20459-6 ↩︎Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
  12. [12]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.