Kudzu (kudzu) - Kudzu

Japanese: クズ(葛) - クズ

A perennial creeping plant of the legume family that grows wild in the mountains and fields of Hokkaido, Kyushu, and East Asia. It has swollen roots, and the base of the stem becomes woody. The leaves are trifoliate, with diamond-shaped, oval leaflets that are 10-15 cm long and 15 cm wide, and whitish on the underside. From summer to autumn, the plant produces flower spikes in the leaf axils, and many densely blooms with reddish purple butterfly-shaped flowers. The legumes are flattened, narrowly oval, coarsely hairy, and about 10 cm long. They are planted as retaining walls or used as animal feed. The roots contain starch (kuzuko), and when the pericarp is removed, they are called kudzu roots, and are the main ingredient in kudzu soup. The fibers of the stems are also used to weave kudzu cloth for sliding doors. They are cultivated around the world for erosion control, and grow wild in North America.
→ Related article Starch crops

Source : Heibonsha Encyclopedia About MyPedia Information

Japanese:

北海道〜九州，東アジアの山野に自生するマメ科のつる性多年草。肥大する根があり，茎の基部は木質化する。葉は３出葉で，小葉は菱状卵形，長さ幅とも10〜15cm，下面は白っぽい。夏〜秋，葉腋に花穂を出し，紅紫色の蝶(ちょう)形花を多数密につける。豆果は扁平な狭楕円形で，粗毛があり，長さ約10cm。土留めに植えたり，飼料とする。根はデンプン（葛粉(くずこ)）を含み，周皮を取り除いたものを葛根(かっこん)と称し，葛根湯の主原料となる。また茎の繊維で襖(ふすま)等に用いる葛布を織った。世界各地で砂防用などとして栽培され，北米では野生している。
→関連項目デンプン（澱粉）料作物

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