Family: FABACEAE/PAPILIONACEAE
A leguminous shrub to 3 m, native to Japan but widely grown in Korea for soil reclamation. The long shallow roots spread along the ground and the nodules on the roots are very efficient at nitrogen fixing. In Korea it is planted as a nurse crop to pine trees.
It is a high protein stock feed, the seeds are good poultry feed and the firewood is high quality. In Korea, yields of 2.9 tonnes of firewood per hectare in the first year are usual. It is considered a good honey plant. The leaves and roots are used in Japanese medicine.