noun
Chinese milk vetch; Astragalus sinicus
A flowering plant often grown as green manure in rice paddies; the name is usually written in kana.
春になると、田んぼにげんげの花が一面に咲く。
In spring, the rice paddies are covered with Chinese milk vetch flowers.
Very rare kanji form; it is rarely used.
The origin is uncertain; the kanji 紫雲英 literally means 'purple cloud flower', likely a descriptive Chinese name for the plant.