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Fabaceae FAMILY

Psophocarpus lancifolius

Psophocarpus lancifolius

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitPerennial Climber
Growth—

Species in this genus generally require a sunny position, growing best in a moist but well-drained, slightly acid loamy soil[1]. 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].

Propagation

Seed - requires pre-treatment. Pre-soaking for 12 - 24 hours in warm water should soften the hard seedcoat and allow the seed to swell. If it does not swell, then making a small nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) should allow the seed to take up water[PFAF]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Psophocarpus+lancifolius>

Pollinators

Bees

References

  1. [1]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  2. [2]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.
  3. [3]Uses, Nutritional Composition, and Ecogeography of Four Species of Psophocarpus (Fabaceae, Phaseoleae) in Zaire — Harder D.; Lolema O.P.M. & Tshisand M. · 1990 · http://www.jstor.org/stable/4255258. ↩︎
  4. [4]A Revision of Psophocarpus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae-Phaseoleae) — Verdcourt B. & Halliday P. · 1978 · http://10.2307/4109575 ↩︎
  5. [5]A Taxonomic Revision of the Genus Rafnia Thunb. (Fabaceae, Crotalarieae) — Campbell G. · Rand Afrikaans University · 1998 ↩︎A Dissertation presented in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Magister Scientiae in Botany at the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the Rand Afrikaans University, S. Africa.
  6. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎