Millettia pulchra is one of many ornamental legumes...first cousin to the better known genus, indigofera. Millettia pulchra forms a large shrub/small tree that can be found in open woodlands and thickets over a wide part of Asia, from India though China, and into Vietnam. In the garden, Millettia pulchra forms a 10' tall x 10' wide mass of stems, bearing attractive, soft-textural mimosa-like foliage. The clusters of small purple flowers, which adorn the plant from late spring thru summer are found at the terminal leaf axils. If Millettia pulchra is too big for your garden, cut it down, grind it up, and sell it to cancer researchers, who know it as Yulangsan. In China, the dried roots have long been used to boost the immune system, and now are being used to boost the performance of chemotherapy drugs.
