Kiwach / Velvet Bean
Mucuna pruriens var. pruriens
Also known as Common Cow Itch, Cowhage
- Habit
- Liana
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Assam, Manipur & more
- Flowering
- September-March
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Mucuna pruriens var. pruriens
- Genus
- Mucuna
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Habit
- Liana
- Habitat
- In secondary forests at lower altitudes and in plains
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Native to
- India
- Distribution
- Himalayas, India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Assam, Manipur, West Bengal
- Flowering & fruiting
- September-March
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf type
- TrifoliaterecordedA compound leaf made of exactly three leaflets.
- Leaf shape
- OvaterecordedEgg-shaped, broader near the base.“The leaves are tripinnate, ovate, reverse ovate, rhombus-shaped or widely ovate.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf surface
- Hirsute (coarsely hairy)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kiwach itself; the rest are typical of the Fabaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- PurplerecordedPurple or violet
- Flower arrangement
- HeadrecordedA dense, tight cluster of many small stalkless flowers, packed into a rounded or flat head.“The flower heads take the form of axially arrayed panicles.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Fruit surface
- HairyrecordedCovered in visible hairs or fuzz.
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Raceme
- Fruit
- Legume
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kiwach itself; the rest are typical of the Fabaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- Kiwach
- Nepali
- काउसे सिमी Kaause Simee
- Bengali
- Akolchi
- Telugu
- Pilliadugu
- Kannada
- ನಸುಗುನ್ನಿ Nasugunni, ನೊಸಗೊನ್ನೆ Nosagonne, ನಾಯಿಸೊಣಗುಬಳ್ಳಿ Nayisonanguballi
- Malayalam
- Naicorna
- Marathi
- खाज कुइरी Khaj-kuiri
About Kiwach
Velvet Bean (Mucuna pruriens var. pruriens) belongs to the Fabaceae family, where it grows as a woody climber. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Assam, Manipur and 1 other states. It grows in in secondary forests at lower altitudes and in plains. Flowering and fruiting run from September to March.
Uses
Locally it is grown for parts that are eaten, stripped for fibre used in rope and matting and harvested for fodder.
Fabaceae
Legume/Bean family
Kiwach belongs to the Fabaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Fabaceae family →Snap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Kiwach or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.