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Useful Tropical Plants

Oxyrhynchus volubilis

Brandegee

Fabaceae

+ Synonyms

Dolichos insularis Britton

Oxyrhynchus alienus Piper

Oxyrhynchus insularis (Britton) Piper

Common Name: Island Bean

No Image.

General Information

Oxyrhynchus volubilis is a herbaceous perennial climbing plant with twining stems that scramble over the ground and climb into the surrounding vegetation for support.
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.
Oxyrhynchus volubilis appears to be widespread in its natural range, it is known to occur within the protected area network and there are no major threats to the species at present, therefore the population is believed to be stable . The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[
338
Title
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.iucnredlist.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

1551
Title
Phytologia Volume 15
Publication
 
Author
Moldenke H.N. & Moldenke A.L.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Harold N. Moldenke and Alma L. Moldenke; New York
Year
1967
ISBN
 
Description
A botanical publication with a specific purpose of publishing the names and descriptions of newly described species. It can be downloaded from the Internet.

Range

Southern N. America - Texas, eastern Mexico; Caribbean - Cuba, Bahamas

Habitat

Mattoral and secondary vegetation; at elevations from 330 - 640 metres[
338
Title
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.iucnredlist.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].

Properties

Conservation StatusLeast Concern
Edibility Rating *  *
Other Uses Rating *  *
HabitPerennial Climber
Height0.00 m
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details

Oxyrhynchus volubilis is native from the warm temperate zone of southern USA to the tropics of eastern Mexico and the Caribbean.

This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria called Rhizobia. These bacteria form nodules on the roots of the plants and fix atmospheric nitrogen, plants may fail to flourish due to the absence of the appropriate Rhizobium species. Some of the nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[
755
Title
Nodulation Plants in GRIN Taxonomy
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.ars-grin.gov/~sbmljw/cgi-bin/taxnodul.pl?language=en
Publisher
United States Department of Agriculture
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An online database listing plants that have either positive or negative reports on root and stem nodulation with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
].

Edible Uses

Seed - cooked[
1438
Title
Food Plants in the Americas: A Survey of the Domesticated, Cultivated, and Wild Plants Used for Human Food in North,
Publication
 
Author
Kermath B.M.; Bennett B.C.' Pulsipher L.M.
Publisher
 
Year
2014
ISBN
 
Description
A pre-publication draft of an amazing, on-going work first started in 1985. It contains information on more than 3,900 taxa from the Americas - from Arctic regions to the Tropics
]. The seedpods are 4 - 6cm long, 2 - 3cm wide and 1 - 2cm thick, containing 2 - 3 seeds 10 - 15mm long and 10 - 14mm in diameter[
1551
Title
Phytologia Volume 15
Publication
 
Author
Moldenke H.N. & Moldenke A.L.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Harold N. Moldenke and Alma L. Moldenke; New York
Year
1967
ISBN
 
Description
A botanical publication with a specific purpose of publishing the names and descriptions of newly described species. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The seeds are used as marbles in children's games[
1551
Title
Phytologia Volume 15
Publication
 
Author
Moldenke H.N. & Moldenke A.L.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Harold N. Moldenke and Alma L. Moldenke; New York
Year
1967
ISBN
 
Description
A botanical publication with a specific purpose of publishing the names and descriptions of newly described species. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].

Propagation

Seed -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-03-28. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Oxyrhynchus+volubilis>

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