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Useful Tropical Plants

Vigna luteola

(Jacq.) Benth.

Fabaceae

+ Synonyms

Calopogonium pendunculatum Standl.

Dolichos gangeticus Roxb.

Dolichos luteolus Jacq.

Dolichos niloticus Delile

Orobus trifoliatus Sesse & Moc.

Phaseolus luteolus (Jacq.) Gagnep.

Phaseolus maritimus Hassk.

Scytalis helicopus E.Mey.

Vigna brachystachys Benth.

Vigna bukobensis Harms

Vigna fischeri Harms

Vigna glabra Savi

Vigna helicopus (E.Mey.) Walp.

Vigna jaegeri Harms

Vigna longepedunculata Taub.

Vigna marina oblonga Padulosi

Vigna nigerica A.Chev.

Vigna nilotica (Delile) Hook.f.

Vigna repens (L.) Kuntze

Vigna repens Baker

Vigna villosa Savi

Common Name:

Vigna luteola
Plant growing amongst grass in its native habitat
Photograph by: O. M. Montiel
Creative Commons License
Vigna luteola Vigna luteola Vigna luteola Vigna luteola Vigna luteola

General Information

Vigna luteola is an annual to perennial plant producing stems up to 6 metres long. The stems trail over the ground or twine into the surrounding vegetation. The stems root readily where they touch the ground[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
,
415
Title
Tropical Forages
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/index.htm
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Mainly focussed on forage plants, the site gives a lot of information on the plant, with a good botanical description, details of cultivation, plant uses and a good selection of photographs.
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. It is sometimes grown as a green manure, especially in wetter soils.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References


Range

Pantropical.

Habitat

Swampy grasslands, among reeds on sandy lake shores, in papyrus swamps, on stream sides and in swamp forest, at elevations from sea-level to 2,200 metres[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Properties

Weed PotentialYes
Edibility Rating *  *
Medicinal Rating *  *
Other Uses Rating *  *  *
HabitPerennial
Height3.00 m
Cultivation StatusCultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Vigna luteola is found over a diverse range of temperature environments, succeeding as an annual in the temperate zone and growing as a perennial in the tropics from sea level to over 2,000 metres. The average annual temperature in these areas ranges from as low as 13°c up to about 26°c. The optimum temperature for growth is in the range of 20 - 30°c. The growing plant is very susceptible to frost[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
,
415
Title
Tropical Forages
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/index.htm
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Mainly focussed on forage plants, the site gives a lot of information on the plant, with a good botanical description, details of cultivation, plant uses and a good selection of photographs.
]. While it can make a useful contribution in areas with average annual rainfalls as low as 800mm, ideally the rainfall should be 1,250mm, and up to at least 4,000 mm. In lower rainfall environments, soils should have good moisture storage characteristics[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
,
415
Title
Tropical Forages
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/index.htm
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Mainly focussed on forage plants, the site gives a lot of information on the plant, with a good botanical description, details of cultivation, plant uses and a good selection of photographs.
].
Adapted to a wide range of soil types, from light loams to heavy textured clays, and from very acid to strongly alkaline soils. It is adapted to poorly drained and moderately saline soils[
415
Title
Tropical Forages
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/index.htm
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Mainly focussed on forage plants, the site gives a lot of information on the plant, with a good botanical description, details of cultivation, plant uses and a good selection of photographs.
]. The plant has little drought tolerance and does not perform well under dry conditions[
415
Title
Tropical Forages
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/index.htm
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Mainly focussed on forage plants, the site gives a lot of information on the plant, with a good botanical description, details of cultivation, plant uses and a good selection of photographs.
]. It prefers good soil moisture conditions, and is tolerant of waterlogging and short-term flooding[
415
Title
Tropical Forages
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/index.htm
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Mainly focussed on forage plants, the site gives a lot of information on the plant, with a good botanical description, details of cultivation, plant uses and a good selection of photographs.
].
The plant is considered a weed of rice crops in South America, and in South Africa it figures on the national weed list[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
]. While it is recorded as causing some problems in rice crops, there are no records of this species becoming a major weed[
415
Title
Tropical Forages
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/index.htm
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Mainly focussed on forage plants, the site gives a lot of information on the plant, with a good botanical description, details of cultivation, plant uses and a good selection of photographs.
].
The plant is day-neutral and flowers throughout the year[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
Seed harvest is difficult owing to the plant's indeterminate flowering habit. Pods are hidden by new growth before they can be picked, and so hand harvesting has been the only method employed to date. The pods also shatter[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria; these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this 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

Flowers - cooked. Boiled and eaten as a vegetable[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Roots - raw. They are dug up by children, peeled and then chewed to extract a sweet juice[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

The tender cooked seeds are edible[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
The pods are 40 - 80mm long and 5 - 6mm wide, with slight constrictions between the 4 - 12 seeds. The dark red-brown or grey brown with black speckling to black seeds are 3 - 4mm long and 2 - 3mm wide[
415
Title
Tropical Forages
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/index.htm
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Mainly focussed on forage plants, the site gives a lot of information on the plant, with a good botanical description, details of cultivation, plant uses and a good selection of photographs.
].

Medicinal

The leaves and flowers, combined with the flowers of Hagenia abyssinica, are used in the treatment of syphilis and ulcers[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

The plant (part not specified) is used to control lipid adsorption and cholesterol levels, and it is also reported to have antimicrobial and antineoplastic properties[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant is sometimes used as a green manure and ground cover crop. It is one of the best legumes for wet conditions, and one of the best pioneer plants in such situations. It forms a good ground cover in shaded situations, but its twining habit may present problems with young trees[
415
Title
Tropical Forages
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/index.htm
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Mainly focussed on forage plants, the site gives a lot of information on the plant, with a good botanical description, details of cultivation, plant uses and a good selection of photographs.
].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - it has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing in order to speed up and improve germination[
415
Title
Tropical Forages
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/index.htm
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Mainly focussed on forage plants, the site gives a lot of information on the plant, with a good botanical description, details of cultivation, plant uses and a good selection of photographs.
]. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing.
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-10-14. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Vigna+luteola>

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