Vigna unguiculata

Vines annual. Stems trailing, climbing, or erect, sometimes hollow, nodes in trailing stems streaked red, glabrous. Leaves: stipules triangular-lanceolate, 15 mm, basal appendage short and narrow; petiole 5–14 cm, striate, canaliculate; rachis 2 cm; stipels lanceolate, 1.5–2 mm; leaflet blades ovate to lanceolate or rhombic-ovate, 4–15 × 3–8 cm, base often lobed. Peduncles (8–)15–25 cm. Inflorescences: floral nodes 1–3, clustered distally; bracts deciduous, lanceolate or ovate, 12–15 mm. Pedicels straight, 0.2 cm; bracteoles deciduous, lanceolate, 5 mm. Flowers: calyx tube striate, 5 mm, adaxial lobe shorter, 5 mm; corolla usually white or purple, rarely yellowish, 25–30 mm; banner broadly orbiculate-oblate, with 2 parallel appendages on inner face; wings spatulate; keel slightly twisted right, beak short, without lateral appendage; style short-beaked, lobelike appendage at stigma short. Legumes spreading or pendulous, white to yellowish, sometimes streaked rose or dark purple, subterete, linear to slightly falcate, 10–30 × 1 cm, glabrous. Seeds (8–)18–25, light brown tinged with red or purple, with purple or pink eyes, creamy white with black eyes, or reddish black, reniform or subglobose, 4–12 × 0.3–0.6 mm; hilum white, not raised.

Phenology: Flowering summer.
Habitat: Roadsides, railroads, disturbed areas.
Elevation: 10–100 m.

Introduced; Ala., Ark., Calif., Del., Fla., Ill., Ind., La., Md., Mich., Miss., Mo., N.C., Ohio, Pa., S.C., Tex. Va., Africa, introduced also in South America, Asia.

Discussion

Vigna unguiculata is a species of African origin now cultivated worldwide (N. Maxted et al. 2004).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa