Common Name: Alyce Clover

General Information

Alysicarpus rugosus is a prostrate to erect, annual to perennial legume growing to 60 - 150cm tall[].
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and as a food in times of shortage. It is used as a green manure to protect and enrich the soil.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - Senegal to Ethiopia, south to Angola, Botswana and S. Africa; E. Asia - Indian Subcontinent to Indonesia; N. Australia

Habitat

Moist places in dense valley forests, wasteland; at elevations from 600 - 1,200 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	1.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Alysicarpus rugosus is a plant of the tropical zone, where it is found at elevations up to 1,400 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 22 - 30°c, but can tolerate 18 - 36°c[]. It is not tolerant of frost.[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 900 - 1,400mm, but tolerates 600 - 1,500mm[].
Requires a sunny position. Grows best on well-drained, sandy loam to clay soils, it is poorly adaptated to acid-infertile soils[]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 7, tolerating 5.5 - 8[].
In single species plots, annual dry matter yields of 3,000 - 7,500 kilos per hectare have been recorded[].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria; these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[].

Edible Uses

The seeds are listed as a famine food in India[].

Medicinal

Leaf and root extracts are used in the treatment of coughs and fevers[].

Agroforestry Uses:

An annual ley legume, it can be used for cut and carry and green manure[]

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Like many species within the family Fabaceae, once they have been dried for storage the seeds of this species may benefit from scarification before sowing in order to speed up and improve germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing[].

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