Chinese milk vetch Astragalus sinicus seeds
LATIN NAME: ASTRAGALUS SINICUS
COMMON NAME: Chinese Milk Vetch, Zi Yun Ying
The Chinese milk vetch is a low and generous herb of the rice fields, and it has been one of the most valuable of the green manures of the East. It grows as a low, spreading, herbaceous annual of the pea family, reaching up to half a metre or more, with soft, branching stems bearing alternate, pinnate leaves of many small, oval leaflets and, in the spring, clusters of many small, pink-purple, pea-like flowers, followed by the small, curved, hairy pods of the few seeds. It is a species of the flowering herb, native to the warm fields of China, while it is grown in the rice fields and the gardens of the region as a valuable nitrogen-fixing green manure, and it is known as the Chinese milk vetch.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The Chinese milk vetch has a real and distinguished place in research. It has been studied in the agriculture and the soil science, since the Chinese milk vetch is one of the most valuable of the green manures of the rice fields, and the researchers have examined its growth, its nitrogen-fixing roots and its value in the soil, while the study of the green manures of the rice fields has drawn attention in the international agricultural press, and the value of the Chinese milk vetch in the improvement of the rice soils has been of the greatest interest across the world. The plant has also been studied in botany and ecology, since it is a native of the warm fields of China, and its relationships, its distribution and its role in the wild have been examined, while the ecology of the field herbs has been of continuing interest, and the clusters of the small, pink-purple flowers of the Chinese milk vetch have been of interest to the botanists and the beekeepers alike. The species has also been studied in the horticulture and the traditional use, since the flowering tops of the Chinese milk vetch have a long history of use in the traditional ways of the region, and the researchers have examined the plant and its constituents, while the plant is best appreciated as a subject of study and a generous green manure of the field rather than a casual remedy. For a plant of such generous value, the Chinese milk vetch has a rich and distinguished record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
To grow the Chinese Milk Vetch from seed, ecologically, the Chinese milk vetch is a generous plant of the field and the garden. Its clusters of many small, pink-purple, pea-like flowers feed the bees and the insects of the spring, and its nitrogen-fixing roots enrich the soil where it grows, while its low, leafy growth gives a fine cover to the ground and the small creatures. Its economic value is real: the Chinese milk vetch is prized as one of the most valuable of the green manures of the rice fields, and its value has drawn attention in the international agricultural press, while its nitrogen-fixing roots have made it a fine friend of the soil, and its spring flowers have made it a pretty presence in the field. To raise the Chinese milk vetch, sow the seeds in pots of moist, free-draining compost in an open, sunny spot, keep them lightly watered, and grow the little plants on in the light.
sow the seeds in pots of moist, free-draining compost in an open, sunny spot, keep the young milk vetch lightly watered, and grow the little plants on in the light.
LATIN NAME: Astragalus sinicus
COMMON NAME: Chinese Milkvetch, Renge, Genge
The Chinese milkvetch is a modest and generous plant of the eastern Asian fields, and its clusters of pink-purple, pea-like flowers and its leafy mounds have made it a valued plant of the farmers and the beekeepers for a very long time. It grows as an annual or short-lived, herbaceous plant of the legume family, reaching up to forty centimetres, with a low, sprawling, leafy mound of pinnate, green leaves and, in the spring, the many small, pink-purple, pea-like flowers, borne in the clusters at the tops of the stems, followed by the small, narrow pods of the seeds. It is a species of the legume family, known under the common names of the Chinese milkvetch, the renge or the genge, and it is in common use in the farming as a green manure, while it is not to be confused with the Astragalus mongholicus, the plant yielding the Radix Astragali for the Chinese medicine.
The Chinese milkvetch belongs to the legume family, Fabaceae, and it is a species of the milkvetch. It is known under the common names of the Chinese milkvetch, the renge or the genge, and it is in common use in the farming as a green manure, while it is not to be confused with the Astragalus mongholicus, the plant yielding the Radix Astragali for the Chinese medicine, and it is prized for its value to the fields and the bees.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The Chinese milkvetch has a genuine and growing place in both agricultural and ecological research. It has been studied in the agriculture and in the soil science, since it is in common use in the farming as a green manure, and researchers have examined its growth, its nitrogen-fixing value and its use in the improvement of the rice fields, while the value of the legume to the soil of the eastern Asian fields has been of continuing interest, and the role of the Chinese milkvetch in the green manuring has drawn attention in the international agricultural press as a valued cover crop of the rice country. The plant has also been studied in the ecology and in the research on the bees, since its spring flowers are a valued source of the nectar and the pollen, and researchers have examined its value to the honeybees and the wild bees, while the early spring bloom of the plant has been valued by the beekeepers of the region. The species has also been studied in botany, since it is a member of the legume family, and its classification and its relationships have been examined, while the study of the milkvetches and their many species has been of continuing interest. For a plant of such modest value, the Chinese milkvetch has a steady and growing record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the Chinese milkvetch is a generous plant of the spring fields. Its pink-purple, pea-like flowers feed the honeybees and the wild bees of the early spring, and its leafy mounds give cover, while, as a legume, it helps to enrich the soil of the fields where it grows.
Its economic value is real. The Chinese milkvetch is in common use in the farming as a green manure, enriching the soil of the rice fields, and its value has drawn attention in the international agricultural press as a valued cover crop of the rice country, while its spring flowers are also a valued source of the nectar for the bees and the honey of the region. For a grower, the Chinese milkvetch is an easy and generous plant, and for a gardener or a farmer it brings a leafy, nitrogen-rich mound and a flush of pink-purple, bee-filled bloom. The seeds are simple and dependable — scatter them on the surface of moist soil in a sunny or lightly shaded spot, press them in lightly, keep them gently watered, and theyll be sprouting within a week or two, growing on into a leafy, bee-filled plant of the fields.
Use Medicinal. Landscape. Gardening