Skip to content

Home
How To
Native Plants

Native Plant Search

Home
How To
Native Plants

Native Plant Search

Pueraria montana

Climber

HomeClimberPueraria montana

Thickets and thin woods all over Japan.

Family: Fabaceae
Height: 10 m / 33 ft
Sun
Medium and Heavy Soil
Moist

Plant Rating

Edible Uses: 4 of 5
Medicinal Uses: 5 of 5
Other Uses: 3 of 5

Native Habitat

Kudzu Vine Pueraria montana native habitat is Thickets and thin woods all over Japan.

Edible Uses

Root - cooked. Rich in starch. The root can be up to 1.8 metres long and has been known to weigh 35 kilos or more. The root contains about 10% of a fine quality starch - this can be extracted and used as a crispy coating in deep fried foods, or as a thickening agent in soups etc. It can also be made into noodles, or like agar or gelatine is used as a gelling agent for salads. The roots are a staple food in Japan, the peeled root contains about 2.1% protein, 0.1% fat, 27.1% carbohydrate, 1.4% ash. The starch of the roots contains (per 100 g) 340 calories, 16.5 percent moisture, 0.2 g protein, 0.1 g fat, 83.1 g total carbohydrate, 0.1 g ash, 35 mg Ca, 18 mg P, 2.0 mg Fe, and 2 mg Na. A nutritional analysis for the whole root is available. Flowers - cooked or made into pickles. Stems and young leaves - raw or cooked. A very nutritious food, the fresh young shoots taste like a cross between a bean and a pea. The cooked leaves contain (per 100 g) 36 calories, 89.0 percent moisture, 0.4 g protein, 0.1 g fat, 9.7 g total carbohydrate. 7.7 g fibre, 0.8 fat, 34 mg Ca, 20 mg P, 4.9 mg Fe, 0.03 mg thiamine, 0.91 mg riboflavin, 0.8 mg niacin.

Copyright © 2026 - Plants For A Future