Mucuna Birdwoodiana: A Spectacular Vine for Gardens and Greenery

The Mucuna birdwoodiana, also known as the white flower oil hemp vine, flower Shamma vine, or sparrow flower, is a plant of the Fabaceae family and Mucuna genus. Its blooming period is from March to May.

The Mucuna birdwoodiana is native to tropical and subtropical regions of Asia. Owing to its perennial nature, the plant is especially vibrant around the Qingming Festival, with flowers hanging in bundles, resembling dancing sparrows, thus providing spectacular visual appeal.

The fresh Mucuna birdwoodiana flowers have a sweet taste and can be used as a side dish, cooked with meat in soups or stir-fried, all resulting in delicious dishes.

Dried Mucuna birdwoodiana flowers can also be used medicinally as an effective remedy for reducing heat in the body.

I. Morphological Characteristics

This is a large, evergreen, woody vine. The mature stems have a grey-brown outer bark, and when cut, reveal a light reddish-brown interior with 3-4 eccentric concentric circles.

Initially, a white sap will emerge from the cut, which turns into a blood-red juice after 2-3 minutes. The young stems have longitudinal grooves, brown lenticels that are raised, and are either hairless or covered in adpressed hairs between the nodes.

The pinnate leaves consist of three leaflets and are 17-30 cm long. The stipules drop early, the petiole is 8-20 cm long, and the rachis is 2-4 cm long. The leaflets are nearly leathery, with the terminal leaflet being elliptical, ovate, or slightly obovate.

They are typically longer and narrower, measuring 9-16 cm in length and 2-6 cm in width. The leaf tip is gradually tapering, up to 1.3-2 cm long, while the base is round or slightly wedge-shaped.

The lateral leaflets are slanted, also measuring 9-16 cm long, and are either hairless or sparsely covered in short hairs. They have 3-5 lateral veins, and the midrib, lateral veins, and reticulate veins are raised on both surfaces. There are no stipels, and the petiolules are 4-8 mm long, with sparse short hairs.

The panicle inflorescence grows on the old branches or in the leaf axils, measuring 20-38 cm long with 20-30 flowers, often forming a cluster. The bracts are ovate and about 2 mm long, dropping early.

The pedicel is 1-1.5 cm long, covered in sparse or densely clustered dark brown adpressed hairs. The calyx is densely covered with light brown adpressed hairs on both the inside and outside, and the outside is covered with reddish-brown deciduous coarse hairs.

The calyx tube is broadly cup-shaped, 1-1.5 cm long, and 1.5-2.5 cm wide. The lateral teeth are triangular, 5-8 mm long. The lower tooth is narrowly triangular, 5-15 mm long. The upper lip is broadly triangular, often the same length as the lateral teeth.

The corolla is white or greenish-white. The standard petal is 3.5-4.5 cm long, with a round tip and a 4 mm long base. The wing petals are 6.2-7.1 cm long, with a round tip and an approximately 8 mm long petiole, densely covered with light brown short hairs.

The keel petals are 7.5-8.7 cm long, with a 7-8 mm long base and a 1 mm long ear, densely covered with brown short hairs. The stamen tube is 5.5-6.5 cm long. The ovary is densely covered with upright dark brown short hairs.

The fruit is woody and strap-shaped, measuring 30-45 centimeters in length, 3.5-4.5 centimeters in width, and 1-1.5 centimeters in thickness. It resembles a string of beads and is densely covered with short red-brown velvet hairs.

The immature fruit often bears red-brown bristles that fall off. It features a woody narrow wing, 3-5 millimeters wide, along both the dorsal and ventral sutures.

There are longitudinal grooves on the inside of the fruit, with a woody septum between the seeds, reaching up to 4 millimeters in thickness.

The fruit contains 5-13 seeds, which are deep purple-black, nearly kidney-shaped, approximately 2.8 centimeters long, about 2 centimeters wide, and 8-10 millimeters thick.

The seeds often have a glossy appearance, with the umbilicus occupying half to three-quarters of the seed’s circumference.

II. Growing Environment

The Hamaerocallis likes a warm, humid climate, is tolerant of shade and drought, but fears severe cold. It is robust and grows rapidly with strong climbing abilities.

It blooms from March to May, and bears fruit from June to November. In gardens, its vines grow on trellises, with flowering clusters hanging from the trellis. Many clusters have 20 to 30 flowers each.

III. Distribution Range

Hamaerocallis grows in sunny mountain areas, by the roadside, and streamsides at altitudes of 800-2500 meters, often climbing on trees and shrubs.

IV. Main Values

Ornamental Value

Due to its evergreen nature and profuse flowering around the Qingming Festival, the Hamaerocallis hanging in clusters looks like dancing birds, making it quite ornamental.

It is therefore most suitable for large trellises, green corridors, green pavilions, and outdoor restaurants in parks and courtyards. It is also suitable for vertical greening of walls, rockeries, and balconies, or as slope-protecting plants.

It can also be used in mountain rocks, stacked stones, and woodland configurations, giving a natural and wild charm. When greening the top, attention should be paid to setting up supports and manually tying the plants to help them climb.

Edible Value

Fresh Hamaerocallis tastes sweet and delicious, can be used as a side dish, and can also be cooked with meat to make soup or stir-fry, both delicious. Dried Hamaerocallis can be used medicinally, and is an excellent product for reducing heat and clearing heat.