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Hana |
| Synonyms: Crotalaria benghalensis Lam., Crotalaria fenestrata Sims., Crotalaria porrecta Wall., Crotalaria sericea Willd., Crotalaria tenuifolia Roxb., Crotalaria viminea Wall. | |
| Vernacular Name: Sinhala: Hana; Eng: benares hemp, Bengal hemp, Bombay hemp, brown hemp, Indian hemp, jubbalpore hemp, madras hemp, sunhemp, sunn hemp; Hindi: kharif, sannai sunn; Tamil: sanal, sannappu | |
| Description: Sunn hemp is a short-day, erect shrubby annual, generally 1 to 4 m in height. The stems are cylindrical and ribbed. Branching in the upper portion is minimized with dense plantings. The simple, elliptic to oblong shaped leaves, are spirally arranged on the stem. The root system is characterized by a long, strong taproot, well developed lateral roots, and much branched and lobed nodules, up to 2.5 cm in length. The inflorescence is a terminal open raceme to 25 cm in length with deep yellow flowers. Flowering is indeterminate. Extensive cross-pollination occurs in sunn hemp and self-pollination takes place after the stigmatic surface has been insect or mechanically stimulated. Seeds are small, flattened, kidney-shaped, and contain approximately 35% protein. Due to cultivar and environment, seed weight is highly variable, ranging from 18,000 to 30,000 seed per kg. 'Tropic Sun', a Hawaiian cultivar, was reported to have 30,000 to 35,000 seed per kg | |
| Propagation: By seeds. | |
| Parts Used: Leaf & seeds. | |
| Chemical Constituents: Seed: phytoagglutinin; quercetin and alkaloids from tissue culture. | |
| Uses:
Green manure crop used to add nitrogen and organic matter Reduces root knot nematodes Provides weed suppression Recommended in Hawai`i for green manure with vegetable crops and ornamentals |
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