Mucuna Bracteata - 0.5 kg Seeds

Mucuna bracteata, Mucuna bracteata, is a vigorous perennial leguminous climber raised primarily as a cover crop and green manure rather than for timber. Originating in the north-eastern Himalayan belt and South-East Asia, it is now grown extensively under rubber, oil palm, coconut and young tree plantations in southern and north-eastern India because its dense mat of foliage smothers weeds, conserves soil moisture and fixes large amounts of atmospheric nitrogen. The thick biomass it produces also reduces erosion on slopes and steadily improves soil organic matter.

• Family: Fabaceae
• Native region: North-east India and South-East Asia
• Mature height: Trailing/climbing (covers the ground)
• Growth rate: Very fast

The seeds have a very hard, impermeable coat and need pre-treatment to germinate evenly. Pour near-boiling water over the seeds, let them stand and cool for 24 hours (discard any that do not swell, and nick or scarify the rest), then direct-sow them about 2–3 cm deep into prepared, moist ground or polybags. With warmth and moisture they sprout in roughly one to two weeks; thin or space the established vines to let them run and form a continuous cover.