Aganope thyrsiflora

(Benth.) Polhill

Fabaceae Edible: Leaves, Vegetable Potential hazards — see below 10 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Aganope thyrsiflora is a liana which shows the characters of a shrub when small. It is found in most of the tropical Asian countries.

Description

A woody creeper or climbing shrub. The leaves have 5-9 leaflets. The leaves are oblong and 10-15 cm long by 4-7 cm wide. Flowering shoots are 12-35 cm long. The flowers are 8 mm across. The pods are 5-10 cm long by 3-4 cm wide. They contain 1-3 seeds.

Edible Uses

Young leaves are boiled and eaten as a vegetable, either strained and cooked, fried, or used in chutney.

Traditional Uses

The young leaves are boiled and eaten. The leaves are boiled and strained and then cooked as a vegetable. They are fried and also used in chutney. Caution: The boiling and straining is probably important.

Medicinal Uses

The boiled and strained leaf preparation is used as a vegetable.

Known Hazards

The plant contains rotenone and has been used traditionally as a fish poison - the rotenone kills or stuns the fish making them easy to catch, but the fish remain perfectly edible for mammals. Rotenone is classified by the World Health Organization as moderately hazardous. It is mildly toxic to humans and other mammals, but extremely toxic to many insects (hence its use as an insecticide) and aquatic life, including fish. This higher toxicity in fish and insects is because the lipophilic rotenone is easily taken up through the gills or trachea, but not as easily through the skin or the gastrointestinal tract. The lowest lethal dose for a child is 143 mg/kg, but human deaths from rotenone poisoning are rare because its irritating action causes vomiting. Deliberate ingestion of rotenone, however, can be fatal. The compound decomposes when exposed to sunlight and usually has an activity of six days in the environment.

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It grows by streams in mountains usually at low elevations but can be up to 2,000 m in Yunnan. It occurs in the Western Ghats in India.

Where It Grows

Asia, Cambodia, China, India, Indochina, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Northeastern India, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, SE Asia, Thailand, Vietnam,

Other Uses

The plant contains rotenone, which is widely used as an insecticide. Rotenone is effective against a range of horticultural pests, such as aphids and caterpillars, and also against external body parasites like ticks, lice, fleas and flies. It is reported to be ineffective against bedbugs, cockroaches, scale insects and red spiders.. The rotenone can be found in various parts of the plant, but is generally most abundant in the bark, especially of the roots. The bark can be dried and powdered for use as an insecticidal dust.

Synonyms

Aganope floribunda Miq.Aganope macrophylla Miq.Aganope subavenis Miq.Aganope thyrsiflora var. eualata (Bedd.) Thoth. & D. N. DasAganope thyrsiflora var. wallichii (Prain) Thoth. & D. N. DasDeguelia eualata (Bedd.) Taub.Degeuelia thyrsiflora (Benth.) Taub.Derris eualata Bedd.Derris latifolia PrainDerris platyptera BakerDerris pyrrothyrsa Miq.Derris thyrsiflora (Benth.) Benth.Derris wallichii PrainMillettia thyrsiflora Benth.Pterocarpus thyrsiflorus (Benth.) Kuntze

Also Known As

Hui-hu, Huihu

References (3)

Gangte, H. E., et al, 2013, Wild Edible Plants used by the Zou Tribe in Manipur, India. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 3, Issue 5 (As Derris wallichii)
Kar, A., et al, 2013, Wild Edible Plant Resources used by the Mizos of Mizoram, India. Kathmandu University Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology. Vol. 9, No. 1, July, 2013, 106-126 (As Derris thyrsiflora)
Konsam, S., et al, 2016, Assessment of wild leafy vegetables traditionally consumed by the ethnic communities of Manipur, northeast India. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 12:9 (As Derris wallichii)