General description and special characteristics – Sunn hemp is an erect, Photo: ECHO Asia staff annual legume with rapid, vigorous growth, bright yellow flowers, and plump, pubescent seed pods. The plant generally grows unbranched from the ground to approximately 60 cm (2 ft.) up the stem. Above this height, stalks will begin to branch out if not too tightly crowded. When grown in dense stands, as for a green manure/cover crop (gm/cc), sunn hemp will have a single, spindly stem that can reach 3 m (10 ft.) in height. With vigorous lateral roots and a long taproot that can exploit subterranean water sources, sunn hemp does demonstrate some drought resistance.
Variety – Chiang Mai