- Root System & Tubers: Produces stringed, globose-to-ellipsoid subterranean tubers measuring 30–60 cm in length and weighing between 5 kg to upwards of 30 kg in mature wild vines. Outer cortex is greyish-brown and wrinkled; interior flesh is pure white, fibrous-crisp, and mucilaginous with a sweet, cooling taste.
- Stem & Habit: Thick, woody, twining liana reaching diameters of 10–15 cm at the base. Young branches are densely covered with appressed greyish-silky trichomes (hairs).
- Foliage: Alternate, pinnately trifoliate leaves with petioles 10–20 cm long. The terminal leaflet is broadly ovate (12–22 cm long), unequal-sided at the base, glabrescent on top and silky-pubescent beneath.
- Inflorescence & Flowers: Showy, densely clustered axillary or terminal racemes (15–30 cm long) appearing in early spring before fresh leaf flush. Blossoms are papilionaceous (pea-like), 1.5 cm long, bright bluish-purple to pale violet.
- Pods & Seeds: Linear-oblong, flat pods (5–8 cm long), densely clothed in persistent bristly, reddish-brown stinging hairs, containing 3–6 oblong seeds.
Perennial Woody Liana / Subterranean Tuberous Climber
Vidarikand (Indian Kudzu) (Sural / विदारीकंद (Vidarikand))
Pueraria tuberosa
Also Known as: विदारीकंद (Vidarikand), भुई कोहड़ा (Bhuyi Kohada), विदारी (Vidari), Sural, Ghorbel, Indian Kudzu
Pueraria tuberosa, commonly known as Vidarikand or Indian Kudzu, is a massive, perennial woody climber (liana) belonging to the Fabaceae family. Indigenous to the deciduous tracts and river valleys of the Indian Subcontinent, this plant is renowned for its enormous subterranean, starch-rich tubers and seasonal clusters of bluish-purple pea-like flowers. In Ayurvedic pharmacopeia, it stands as a premier Rasayana (rejuvenative tonic), Brimhana (bulk-promoting), and Vajikarana (vitality enhancer) herb, backed by modern phytochemical recognition for its rich content of isoflavonoids, pterocarpans, and tuberosin.
Botanical Family
Fabaceae (Leguminosae / Pea Family)
Native Region
Indian Subcontinent (India, Nepal, Pakistan - monsoon forests, rocky hillsides, and riverbanks)
Growth Habit
Perennial Woody Liana / Subterranean Tuberous Climber
Mature Height
Climbing canopy spread of 10 – 15 meters (30 – 50 ft)
Sunlight
Full Sun to Partial Canopy Sunlight (requires open light for heavy flowering)
Water Needs
Moderate during active growth; exceptionally drought-tolerant once taproot and tubers form
Soil Dynamics
Deep, loose, well-aerated sandy loam, gravelly loam; pH 6.0 – 7.8 (intolerant of heavy waterlogged clay)
Propagation
Root tuber divisions (crown cuttings) and scarified seeds
