This month, the Makiling Botanic Gardens features a versatile climbing vine that has served communities across the tropics in multiple ways: pukingan (Centrosema molle Mart. Ex Benth.), a member of the Fabaceae family native to the United States of America that has spread across tropical regions worldwide.
Growth Habit and Habitat
Pukingan is a climbing perennial vine that twines around other plants for support. It is commonly found in forest edges and cultivated fields, where its climbing nature allows it to access sunlight while using neighboring plants as scaffolding.
Distinctive Features
Flowers: The flowers are bright to pale purple and grow in clusters called axillary racemes (flower clusters that emerge from the angle where the leaf meets the stem). The common name “pukingan” is derived from the flower’s similarity to the female external genitalia, specifically the clitoris.
Leaves: The leaves are dark green and trifoliolate, meaning each leaf is divided into 3 leaflets. Both sides of the leaves are pubescent (covered with fine, soft hairs).
Pods: The seed pods are flattened with ribbed margins and can grow up to 9 centimeters long. They are green when young and turn dark brown when mature.
Seeds: Each pod contains up to 20 seeds. The seeds are slightly flattened, dark brown, mottled (spotted or blotched with different colors), and oblongoid (oblong or elongated) in shape.
Traditional Uses
Medicinal Applications:
- In Laos, the seeds are crushed and applied to treat snake and scorpion bites
- The leaves are used to treat skin diseases
- In Nigeria, the pods are used in peppered soup and given to women to cleanse the womb after childbirth
Agricultural Uses:
- Used as fodder for livestock
- Used as ground cover in plantations in Java and Malaysia for centuries
- Has a symbiotic relationship with other plants, functioning as an efficient fixer of nitrogen that benefits nearby plants
A Nitrogen-Fixing Partner
One of pukingan’s most valuable ecological roles is its ability to fix nitrogen. Like many members of the Fabaceae (legume) family, this vine has a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria in its roots. These bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into a form that plants can use, enriching the soil and benefiting neighboring plants. This characteristic has made pukingan valuable as ground cover in plantations in Java and Malaysia for centuries, where it improves soil fertility while also preventing erosion and suppressing weeds.
From Forest Edge to Farm
Pukingan’s adaptability to both wild and cultivated environments makes it a plant of multiple landscapes. Whether climbing through the vegetation at forest edges or serving as living mulch in agricultural fields, this vine demonstrates how a single species can fulfill numerous ecological and practical roles.
When you encounter pukingan at the Makiling Botanic Gardens or along the edges of Mount Makiling’s forests, observe how it twines around neighboring plants for support. Notice the distinctive three-part leaves covered with soft hairs, and if you’re fortunate to see it in bloom, the purple flowers that give the plant its common name.
As our Plant of the Month for March 2026, pukingan reminds us that some of the most useful plants are those that work in partnership with others—fixing nitrogen, providing ground cover, feeding livestock, and offering traditional remedies to communities across continents.
The Makiling Botanic Gardens showcases a different plant species each month to highlight botanical diversity and the many ways plants contribute to both natural ecosystems and human communities. Visit us to learn more about the fascinating relationships between plants and their environments.