Pueraria phaseoloides
Summary 5
Pueraria phaseoloides (Roxb.) Benth. is a plant spiecies within the pea family Fabaceae and its subfamily Faboideae. It is a promising forage crop and cover crop used in the tropics. It is known as Puero in Australia and tropical Kuzdu in most tropical regions. It is closely related to other species in the genus Pueraria and it is crossable with the other species of Pueraria.
Diagnostic description 6
Pueraria phaseoloides (Roxb.) Benth., J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 9: 125. 1865.
Basionym: Dolichos phaseoloides Roxb.
Herbaceous vine, twining, much branched, attainig 15 m in length. Stems cylindrical, pilose. Leaves alternate, trifoliolate; leaflets 3-12(14) × 2.9-8.7(13) cm, chartaceous, ovate or rhombic, the lateral ones asymmetrical, the apex acute, the base cuneate on the central leaflet, rounded-obtuse on the lateral ones, the margins entire; upper surface dark green, dull, pubescent, especially on the veins; lower surface pale green, strigose, with prominent venation; petiolules swollen, 4-5 mm long, pubescent; petioles sulcate, pubescent, up to 12 cm long, with the base swollen; stipules narrowly lanceolate, 3-5 mm long; stipels subulate, minute, persistent. Pseudoracemes axillary, up to 25 cm long, with 2-3 flowers per node; bracts minute, persistent; peduncles pubescent. Calyx campanulate, ca. 5 mm long. Legume linear, flattened, 6-9 cm long, slightly curved, dehiscent by valves that open in a spiral, the valves septate between the seeds. Seeds numerous, ca. 3 mm long, oblong, dark brown to almost black.
Phenology: Flowering and fruiting from November to March.
Status: Exotic, naturalized, very aggressive and very common.
Commentary: Apparently originally introduced on lands of the Agricultural Experiment Station in Mayagüez in Puerto Rico in 1940 from material from Malaya; today this species has a wide distribution throughout Puerto Rico.
Selected Specimens Examined: Acevedo-Rdgz., P. 2411; 3740; 5432; 6966; Axelrod, F. 5819; 9472; Hermann, F.A. s.n.; Liogier, A.H. 10539; 10574.
Sources and Credits
- (c) 106611639464075912591, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by 106611639464075912591, https://picasaweb.google.com/106611639464075912591/KranjiFarms#6032902550573039698
- (c) thelittleman, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by thelittleman
- (c) Angie Arevalo Camacho, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Angie Arevalo Camacho
- (c) Lisa Bennett, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Lisa Bennett
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pueraria_phaseoloides
- (c) Pedro Acevedo-Rodríguez, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/28435389
