Taxon: Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC. var. pruriens

Summary

Genus:

Mucuna

Family:

Fabaceae (alt. Leguminosae)

Subfamily:

Faboideae

Tribe:

Phaseoleae

Nomen number:

314205

Verified:

11/15/1988 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

11 (1 active, 1 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC. (3 active accession[s])
Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC. var. hirsuta (Wight & Arn.) Wilmot-Dear (0 active accession[s])
Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC. var. sericophylla (Perkins) Wilmot-Dear (0 active accession[s])
Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC. var. utilis (Wall. ex Wight) Baker ex Burck (26 active accession[s])

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Basionym
Dolichos pruriens L.

Homotypic Synonym(s)
Mucuna prurita Hook.
Stizolobium pruriens (L.) Medik.
Stizolobium pruritum Piper & Tracy
Stizolobium pruritum Piper & Tracy subsp. pruritum
Stizolobium pruritum Piper & Tracy var. pruritum

No images

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

Calegari, A. 1995. Leguminosas para adubação verde de verão no Paraná. Circ. Inst. Agron. Parana 80:7.
Lock, J. M. & J. Heald. 1994. Legumes of Indochina: a checklist
Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Sanjappa, M. 1992. Legumes of India
Waterhouse, B. 2002. pers. comm. Note: re. common names
Wilmot-Dear, C. M. 1984. A revision of Mucuna (Leguminosae-Phaseoleae) in China and Japan. Kew Bull. 39:62.
Wilmot-Dear, C. M. 1987. A revision of Mucuna (Leguminosae : Phaseoleae) in the Indian subcontinent and Burma. Kew Bull. 42:43.
Wilmot-Dear, C. M. 1991. A revision of Mucuna (Leguminosae: Phaseoleae) in the Philippines. Kew Bull. 46:213-251.
Wilmot-Dear, C. M. 1992. A revision of Mucuna (Leguminosae: Phaseoleae) in Thailand, Indochina and the Malay Peninsula. Kew Bull. 47:235-237.

Common names

Language	Name	seq	Citation
English	cow-itch	1	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
French	pois pouilleux	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
German	Juckbohne	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanish	chiporro	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanish	picapica	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Kenya			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Tanzania			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Uganda			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Chad			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Ethiopia			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Somalia			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Sudan			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Angola			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Malawi			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Zambia			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Zimbabwe			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa	KwaZulu-Natal		Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa	Transvaal		Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Ghana			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Guinea			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Guinea-Bissau			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Liberia			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Nigeria			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Senegal			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Sierra Leone			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Togo			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Burundi			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Cameroon			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Central African Republic			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Democratic Republic of the Congo			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Equatorial Guinea			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Sao Tome and Principe			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	Western Indian Ocean	Madagascar			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Bangladesh
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Bhutan
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Nepal
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Sri Lanka
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Cambodia			Lock, J. M. & J. Heald. 1994. Legumes of Indochina: a checklist
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Myanmar			Lock, J. M. & J. Heald. 1994. Legumes of Indochina: a checklist
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Thailand			Lock, J. M. & J. Heald. 1994. Legumes of Indochina: a checklist
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Vietnam			Lock, J. M. & J. Heald. 1994. Legumes of Indochina: a checklist
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Indonesia
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Malaysia
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Philippines
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Papuasia	Papua New Guinea
2	Cultivated					also cult.
4	Naturalized					widely natzd. elsewhere

Native
Africa

NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, Chad
EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Burundi, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe
WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo
SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Angola, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe
SOUTHERN AFRICA: South Africa [KwaZulu-Natal, Transvaal]
WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN: Madagascar

Asia-Tropical

INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal
PAPUASIA: Papua New Guinea
INDO-CHINA: Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam
MALESIA: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines

Cultivated (also cult.)
Naturalized (widely natzd. elsewhere)

Reference(s)

Lock, J. M. & J. Heald. 1994. Legumes of Indochina: a checklist
Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Animal food	fodder	when juvenile	Wilmot-Dear, C. M. 1991. A revision of Mucuna (Leguminosae: Phaseoleae) in the Philippines. Kew Bull. 46:213-251.
Environmental	soil improver	as green manure	Calegari, A. 1995. Leguminosas para adubação verde de verão no Paraná. Circ. Inst. Agron. Parana 80:7.
Vertebrate poisons	mammals		Waterhouse, B. 2002. pers. comm. Note: re. common names
Weed			Waterhouse, B. 2002. pers. comm. Note: re. common names

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=314205. Accessed 17 April 2026.