China and Japan
Under favourable conditions the plant may reach a height of 4 feet or more. The seeds vary in colour from whitish and yellowish to green, brown, and black, and in shape from spherical to elliptical. The plant has branching hairy stems, with more or less hairy leaves, broad flowers pale lilac or violet-coloured, and three to five seeded pods covered like the stem with stiff hairs. In the Southern part of the U.S.A., where it is now extensively grown, numerous experiments are being carried out to ascertain the varieties best suited to the different soils and climates. It has been cultivated from very ancient soy protein powder times as a food plant, principally in China and Japan; but although grown in these countries for such an extended period, its cultivation seems to have spread very slowly to the surrounding countries, and has only been introduced into India during com paratively modern times.
