Pueraria
Genus of legumes / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pueraria is a genus of 15–20[2] species of legumes native to south, east, and southeast Asia and to New Guinea and northern Australia.[1] The best known member is kudzu, also called Japanese arrowroot.[3][4] The genus is named after 19th century Swiss botanist Marc Nicolas Puerari.
Pueraria | |
---|---|
Pueraria phaseoloides | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Fabales |
Family: | Fabaceae |
Subfamily: | Faboideae |
Clade: | Millettioids |
Tribe: | Phaseoleae |
Subtribe: | Glycininae |
Genus: | Pueraria DC. (1825) |
Species[1] | |
18; see text | |
Synonyms[1] | |
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Plants in the genus are lianas, shrubs, or climbing herbs, usually with large tuberous roots. Typical habitats include seasonally-dry tropical and subtropical forest, rain forest, forest margins, and scrub vegetation, often on limestone outcrops and in rocky areas.[1]
The genus, as traditionally circumscribed, is polyphyletic, with different species being more related to other species in the tribe Phaseoleae.[5] Current research, reproduced below, splits the genus into five clades, one of which defines the current monophyletic genus.[6]