Characteristics
A climbing bean up to 1-4 m tall. The stems are thin and wiry. They do not have hairs except at the nodes. The leaves have 3 leaflets. The leaf stalks are 4-10 cm long. They have a channel on the top surface. The leaflets are 10-13 cm long by 5-8 cm wide. The leaflets are thin, but oval and pointed at the top. The flowers are about 3 cm long. They are purple with a curved blunt keel. The flowers are in clusters of 10-20 flowers on flower stalks 10-14 cm long. The pods are 6-8 cm long by 1.5-2 cm wide. They are oblong and have a keel. The seeds are dark brown and oblong. They are 1.3 cm long by 8 mm wide. The seed scar is about 1 cm long.
| Life form |
perennial
|
| Growth form |
|
| Growth support |
climber
|
| Foliage retention |
deciduous
|
| Sexuality |
hermaphrodite
|
| Pollination |
-
|
| Spread |
-
|
| Mature width (meter) |
-
|
| Mature height (meter) |
-
|
| Root system |
-
|
| Rooting depth (meter) |
-
|
| Root diameter (meter) |
-
|
| Flower color |
-
|
| Blooming months |
-
|
| Fruit color |
-
|
| Fruiting months |
-
|
| Nitrogen fixer |
rhizobia
|
| Photosynthetic pathway |
-
|
Environment
A tropical plant. It grows in warm, moist coastal districts. It is very cold sensitive. It needs well drained soil in a sunny position. It grows from 5 to 1250 m altitude in Papua New Guinea. In tropical Australia it grows from sea level to 630 m altitude.
| Light |
-
|
| Soil humidity |
-
|
| Soil texture |
-
|
| Soil acidity |
-
|
| Soil nutriment |
-
|
| Hardiness (USDA) |
|
Usage
The seeds have been used to roast and make coffee.
Cultivation
Plants are grown from seed.
| Mode |
seedlings
|
| Germination duration (days) |
-
|
| Germination temperacture (C°) |
-
|
| Germination luminosity |
-
|
| Germination treatment |
-
|
| Minimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Optimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Size |
-
|
| Vigor |
-
|
| Productivity |
-
|
Home