Description
Mucuna –
There are about 100 species of herbaceous and woody stemmed, evergreen, twining climbers and shrubs in this genus. They occur in woodland from tropical regions in both hemisphere. The 3 palmate leaves are alternate or arranged in spirals. They are grown for their large, pendent sprays of pea like flowers, with prominent, curved and pointed, keeled petals, which are borne in showy, pendent, axillary racemes. In warm areas use to clothe an arch, peragola, or trellis.
Grow in moderately fertile, moist but well drained soil in full sun, with some midday shade.
Prone to root rot, Southern blight, leaf spot, spider mites, and whiteflies.
M. bennettii – New Guinea Creeper – This fast growing, woody stemmed climber from New Guinea reaches 70′ feet or more high. It produces a few to moderately branched, wrinkled stems, and dark green leaves with elliptic to oblong leaflets, to 5 ½” long. Mainly in summer it bears pendent, short, dense racemes of scarlet to flame red flowers, 3-5″ long, with downy orange calyces.
Zones 5-9
