Common Name: Glycine Pea

General Information

Glycine tabacina is a scrambling, perennial plant with stoloniferous stems that are much-branched at the base[, ]. The plant usually has a creeping or trailing habit, occasionally climbing by means of twining stems. The stems arise from a woody, often thickened rootstock[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

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Range

E. Asia - southern China, southern Japan; Australia (especially in the east, but found in all states; New Caledonia, Micronesia, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu

Habitat

Common amongst grasses in open situations, also in woodland[]. Rocky pastures, clearings, dry hillsides and sandy slopes[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial Climber
Height	0.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Glycine tabacina has a very wide range, being especially common in the warm temperate to subtropical zones of southeast Australia, but also extending into tropical areas. When dormant, it is said to be hardy to at least -7°c in Australian gardens[], though it would probably be rather less hardy if grown in areas with cooler summers or prolonged periods of cold in the winter.
Plants are likely to need a well-drained soil and a warm sunny sheltered position. Plants are found mainly on sandy soils in the wild, but also grow on black basaltic clays[].
Forms growing in temperate Australia are generally diploid, the form that has spread into the tropics is triploid[].
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

Root - raw or cooked. Said to have a liquorice-like flavour, it is chewed by the Australian Aborigines[, ]. Starchy but very fibrous and with no noticeable flavour[].

Medicinal

An aqueous extract of the roots has shown good activity as an antioxidant, antiinflammatory and antidiabetic

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and then sow in early spring in a greenhouse. The seed should germinate within two weeks at a temperature between 12 - 16°c[]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.