Pueraria
(named in honour of M. M. N. Puerari, a botanical professor at Copenhagen). SYN. Neustanthus. ORD. Leguminosae. A genus consisting of ten species of greenhouse, climbing herbs or sub-shrubs, natives of tropical Asia and Japan. Flowers blue or purplish, disposed on elongated, axillary peduncles, or sub-paniculate and fasciculately racemose at the apices of the branches; standard obovate or sub-orbiculate, the auricles inflexed, appendiculate; bracts small or narrow, very caducous. Pods elongated, two-valved. Leaves pinnately trifoliolate; leaflets ample, ovate or rhomboid, entire or sinuately trilobed, stipellate. The only three species introduced are those described below. For culture, see Clitoria. P. Thunbergiana (Thunberg's). fl., standard eight to nine lines long, equalling the keel; peduncles elongated, floriferous above the middle. Summer. l., leaflets broadly rhomboid, or the lateral ones broadly and obliquely ovate, acuminate, entire or broadly sinuate-trilobed, often 4in. to 5in. in diameter. Khasia. A tall, greenhouse twiner. A fibre (used for textile purposes) is obtained from the stems, and a starch (largely used as an article of food by the Chinese and Japanese) from the roots, of this species. P. tuberosa (tuberous). fl. bluish, borne on rather rigid peduncles in the upper nodes; pedicels very short; standard almost 1/2 in. long, laterally reflexed. June. Pods 2in. to 3in. long. l., leaflets 6in. to 12in. long, rhomboid or oblique, ovate; stipules ovate, subcordate. h. 3ft. India, 1806. Shrubby. SYN. Hedysarum tuberosum.
P. Wallichii (Wallich's). fl. reddish, borne on elongated, slender peduncles; pedicels slender; standard 3/4 in. long, the base ending in a short, narrow claw. June. Pods 3in. to 5in. long. l., leaflets oblique, acuminate, entire; stipules lanceolate, very caducous. h. 3ft. India, &c., 1826. Shurbby.
