| Mucuna pruriens |
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| Mucuna pruriens inflorescence |
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| Scientific classification |
| Kingdom: |
Plantae |
| Clade: |
Tracheophytes |
| Clade: |
Angiosperms |
| Clade: |
Eudicots |
| Clade: |
Rosids |
| Order: |
Fabales |
| Family: |
Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: |
Faboideae |
| Genus: |
Mucuna |
| Species: |
M. pruriens |
| Binomial name |
Mucuna pruriens
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| Synonyms |
- Carpogon capitatus Roxb.
- Carpogon niveus Roxb.
- Carpopogon capitatus Roxb.
- Carpopogon niveum Roxb.
- Carpopogon pruriens (L.) Roxb.
- Dolichos pruriens L.
- Macranthus cochinchinensis Lour.
- Marcanthus cochinchinense Lour.
- Mucuna aterrima (Piper & Tracy) Holland
- Mucuna atrocarpa F.P.Metcalf
- Mucuna axillaris Baker
- Mucuna bernieriana Baill.
- Mucuna capitata Wight & Arn.
- Mucuna cochinchinense (Lour.) A.Chev.
- Mucuna cochinchinensis (Lour.) A.Chev.
- Mucuna deeringiana (Bort) Merr.
- Mucuna esquirolii H. Lév.
- Mucuna esquirolii H.Lev.
- Mucuna hassjoo (Piper & Tracy) Mansf.
- Mucuna hirsuta Wight & Arn.
- Mucuna luzoniensis Merr.
- Mucuna lyonii Merr.
- Mucuna martinii H.Lev. & Vaniot
- Mucuna minima Haines
- Mucuna nivea (Roxb.) DC.
- Mucuna nivea (Roxb.) Wight & Arn.
- Mucuna prurita (L.) Hook.
- Mucuna prurita Wight
- Mucuna sericophylla Perkins
- Mucuna utilis Wight
- Mucuna velutina Hassk.
- Negretia mitis Blanco
- Stizolobium aterrimum Piper & Tracy
- Stizolobium capitatum (Roxb.) Kuntze
- Stizolobium cochinchinense (Lour.) Burk
- Stizolobium deeringianum Bort
- Stizolobium hassjoo Piper & Tracy
- Stizolobium hirsutum (Wight & Arn.) Kuntze
- Stizolobium niveum (Roxb.) Kuntze
- Stizolobium pruriens (L.) Medik.
- Stizolobium pruritum (Wight) Piper
- Stizolobium utile (Wall. ex Wight) Ditmer
- Stizolobium velutinum (Hassk.) Piper & Tracy
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Mucuna pruriens is a tropical legume native to Africa and tropical Asia and widely naturalized and cultivated. Its English common names include monkey tamarind, velvet bean, Bengal velvet bean, Florida velvet bean, Mauritius velvet bean, Yokohama velvet bean, cowage, cowitch, lacuna bean, and Lyon bean. The Tshivenda/Venda language name is Vhulada.
The plant is notorious for the extreme itchiness it produces on contact, particularly with the young foliage and the seed pods. It also produces many medium-sized red swollen bumps along with the itching. It has agricultural and horticultural value and is used in herbalism.