Vigna marina (Burm.) Merr.

Notched cowpea (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Fabales > Fabaceae > Vigna

Characteristics

Climbing or scrambling perennial herb up to several metres long. Stem densely hairy when young, later glabrous or with a few scattered hairs. Leaflets 3, 6.5-9.5 x 5-8 cm, rounded-obovate, retuse or rounded but often mucronulate at the apex, broadly cuneate to a narrowly rounded base, appearing glabrous but with scattered appressed short bristly hairs on both surfaces; venation rather raised and reticulate; petiole 6-11.5 cm long; rhachis 1-3 cm long; stipules c. 2.5-3 x 1.5 mm, ovate, bilobed at the base, multinerved. Peduncle 3-12 cm × 1.2-2.5 mm, glabrous with few scattered hairs; rhachis 2-3 cm long, rarely up to 6 cm, 6-8-noded, rarely up to 20 nodes, internodes 3-5 mm long. Flower yellow, 12-13 x 12-14 mm; pedicel 3-6 mm long, expanding as the pod matures; bracteoles c. 1.5 mm long, lanceolate, 1-nerved. Calyx glabrous; tube 2-2.5 mm long; lobes 0.5-1.5 mm long, the lower slightly longer, deltate, ciliate; the upper pair united into an entire lip. Standard with two central appendages; keel slightly twisted towards the right, with a short beak. Ovary 6-10-ovuled. Pods 5.5-6.5 cm × 7-9 mm, linear-oblong, slightly curved, inflated, glabrous or very sparsely pubescent, slightly constricted between seeds, with a short curved beak. Seed cream-coloured, 5.5-7 x 4.5-6 x 4-5 mm; hilum 2-3 mm long, almost central; rim aril not developed.
More
Climbing or scrambling perennial herb up to several metres long.. Stems densely hairy when young, later glabrous or with a few scattered hairs.. Leaflets 3, rounded-obovate, 3·5–9·5 cm. long, 2·5–7·5 cm. wide, rounded but often mucronulate at the apex, broadly cuneate to a narrowly rounded base, appearing glabrous but with scattered adpressed short bristly hairs on both surfaces; venation rather raised and reticulate; petioles 1·5–11·5 cm. long; rhachis 0·5–3 cm. long; petiolules 2–6 mm. long; stipules ovate, ± 2·5 mm. long, veined.. Racemes with a rhachis 2–3 cm. long, pubescent; peduncle 4·3–10·5 cm. long, sometimes thickening; pedicels 4·5–6 mm. long; bracteoles deciduous, lanceolate, ± 1·5 mm. long, 1-nerved.. Calyx-tube 2·5 mm. long, glabrous; lobes deltoid, 1–1·5 mm. long, the upper pair united into an entire lip, ciliate.. Standard yellow, obovate, 1·2–1·3 cm. long, 1·4 cm. wide.. Pods linear-oblong, slightly curved, inflated, 3·5–6 cm. long, 8–9 mm. wide, glabrous, slightly constricted between the 2–6 seeds.. Seeds yellow-brown or red-brown, oblong, longer dimension 6–7 mm., shorter dimension 5–6 mm., 4·5–5 mm. thick; hilum oblong, slightly narrowed to one end; testa raised slightly at either end and around the hilum; rim-aril not developed.
Perennial herbs, prostrate or climbing. Stems up to several meters, glabrescent when old. Stipules 2-lobed at base, ovate, 3-5 mm; leaflets ovate-orbicular or obovate, 3.5-9.5 × 2.5-7.5 cm, very shortly setose to subglabrous on both surfaces, base broadly cuneate or narrowly rounded, apex rounded, obtuse, or emarginate. Racemes axillary, 2-4 cm; peduncles 3-13 cm. Calyx 2.5-3 mm; teeth deltoid, 1-1.5 mm, upper 2 connate. Corolla yellow; standard broadly obovate, 1.2-1.3 × ca. 1.4 cm; wings and keel ca. 1 cm. Legumes linear-oblong, 3.5-6 × 0.8-0.9 cm, pubescent when young, later glabrous, slightly con­stricted between seeds. Seeds 2-6, yellow-brown or red-brown, oblong, 5-7 × 4.5-5 mm; hilum oblong. Fr. Oct.
A climbing or scrambling herb. It can grow to several metres long. The stems can be hairy. The leaflets are rounded. They are 3.5-9.5 cm long by 2.5-7.5 cm wide. The leaf stalks are 2-11 cm long. The flowering stems are erect. They can be 4-10 cm long. The flower is yellow but often green when young. The flowers are 1.2 cm long. The fruit are narrow pods which are slightly curved. They are 4-6 cm long and 8-9 mm wide. They are constricted between the seeds. There are 2-6 seeds. The seeds are brown or red. They are oblong and 6-7 mm long by 5-6 mm wide.
Leaflets 3, 6.5–9.5 × 5–8 cm, rounded-obovate, retuse or rounded but often mucronulate at the apex, broadly cuneate to a narrowly rounded base, appearing glabrous but with scattered appressed short bristly hairs on both surfaces; venation rather raised and reticulate; petiole 6–11.5 cm long; rhachis 1–3 cm long; stipules c. 2.5–3 × 1.5 mm, ovate, bilobed at the base, multinerved.
Pods 5.5–6.5 cm × 7–9 mm, linear-oblong, slightly curved, inflated, glabrous or very sparsely pubescent, slightly constricted between seeds, with a short curved beak.
Peduncle 3–12 cm × 1.2–2.5 mm, glabrous with few scattered hairs; rhachis 2–3 cm long, rarely up to 6 cm, 6–8-noded, rarely up to 20 nodes, internodes 3–5 mm long.
Calyx glabrous; tube 2–2.5 mm long; lobes 0.5–1.5 mm long, the lower slightly longer, deltate, ciliate; the upper pair united into an entire lip.
Flower yellow, 12–13 × 12–14 mm; pedicel 3–6 mm long, expanding as the pod matures; bracteoles c. 1.5 mm long, lanceolate, 1-nerved.
Seed cream-coloured, 5.5–7 × 4.5–6 × 4–5 mm; hilum 2–3 mm long, almost central; rim aril not developed.
Standard with two central appendages; keel slightly twisted towards the right, with a short beak.
Stem densely hairy when young, later glabrous or with a few scattered hairs.
Climbing or scrambling perennial herb up to several metres long.
Stem glabrous, prostrate or twining
Ovary 6–10-ovuled.
Flowers yellow.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support climber
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 3.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer rhizobia
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

In the vicinity of sandy or stony sea shores, often just above the high tide mark, in coastal lagoons and river mouths, not occurring at much higher elevations.
More
A tropical plant. It occurs just above high tide mark on sandy beaches. It occurs throughout the tropics. It is salt tolerant.
Amongst grass on the sea-shore
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture 5-6
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

Usage

The roots can be eaten cooked and probably raw. The young leaves are sometimes eaten cooked with other food. The young pods are cooked as a vegetable. The seeds are boiled and eaten.
Uses animal food cover plant environmental use experimental purposes food forage gene source medicinal social use
Edible leaves pods roots seeds
Therapeutic use Headache (unspecified), Fever (unspecified), Pneumonia (unspecified), Anodyne (unspecified), Asthma (unspecified), Boil (unspecified), Debility (unspecified), Labor (unspecified), Evil eye (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Flower

Vigna marina flower picture by Yves Burckel (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Vigna marina world distribution map, present in Angola, Argentina, Australia, Burundi, Benin, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, Bangladesh, Belize, Brazil, Botswana, Chile, China, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Colombia, Costa Rica, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, French Guiana, Indonesia, India, Japan, Kenya, Kiribati, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Liberia, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Maldives, Mexico, Myanmar, Northern Mariana Islands, Mozambique, Mauritius, Malawi, Malaysia, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Réunion, Rwanda, Sudan, Senegal, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sierra Leone, Seychelles, Syrian Arab Republic, Chad, Togo, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Taiwan, Province of China, Tanzania, United Republic of, Uganda, United States of America, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Viet Nam, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe

Conservation status

Vigna marina threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:525428-1
WFO ID wfo-0000184221
COL ID 5BDR2
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID 447216
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Vigna marina Scytalis anomala Dolichos luteus Phaseolus marinus Vigna anomala Scytalis retusa Vigna retusa Vigna lutea Dolichos retusus Dolichos savii Vigna rotundifolia Callicysthus volubilis Vigna repens var. lutea Phaseolus obovatus Vigna lutea var. samoensis