Family: Fabaceae
Scientific name: Mucuna macrocarpa
Common name: Rusty leaf Mucuna / Saba ling
Origin: South-east Asia

A very rare Mucuna species from Indonesia that grows in humid forests up to altitudes between 800 and 3000 meters in the Himalayas. Older plants can produce 90 flower trusses at once, that hang directly from the stem. The flowers are purple and yellow, have a beak-like shape and grow in trusses of about 20 cm in size. The plant plays a role in traditional Chinese medicine, and can in temperate climates be grown indoors or in a heated greenhouse. Because of the considerable size of the plant, it needs to be pruned regularly.

The floating seeds have a hard seed wall that protects them from the sea. The plant disperses by floating with the ocean currents all over the world, and can be found on beaches worldwide.

Sowing description: Carefully notch the seeds (without damaging the endosperm) , or sand them with sanding paper. Soak the seeds for 24 hours in lukewarm water, sow them in sowing mix. Keep the soil constantly moist and cover it with plastic foil or glass. Let the seeds germinate in a warm spot indoors.

Sowing time: Whole year
Difficulty: Intermediate
Minimum temperature: 15 degrees Celsius