Fabaceae FAMILY

Calopogonium mucunoides

Edibility

0/5

Medicinal

0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Botanical Description

Calopogonium mucunoides is a short-lived, vigorous, creeping, twining or trailing herb, that can send out stems up to several metres long and form a tangled mass of foliage 30 - 50 cm deep[ 310 Title Plant Resources of Southeast Asia Publication Author Website http://proseanet.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia. ]. The plant is often grown as a green manure in the tropics[ 310 Title Plant Resources of Southeast Asia Publication Author Website http://proseanet.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia. ]. Calopo was introduced into tropical Africa and Asia in the early 1900s and to Australia in the 1930s. It was taken into use as a green manure and cover crop in Sumatra in 1922 and soon thereafter in the rubber and sisal plantations of the central and eastern parts of Java. It was then brought to Malaysia as a cover crop for rubber. Calopo became naturalized in Indonesia and Malaysia, and has spread to most humid tropical areas of the world.

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeTropical America and the West Indies.

HabitatMoist thickets, bushy, rocky areas and light forests[ 1309 Title The Leguminosae; A Source Book of Characteristics, Uses and Nodulation Publication Author Allen O.N.; Allen E.K. Publisher University of Wisconsin Year 1981 ISBN 0-333-32221-5 Description An amazing and comprehensive work, giving a brief guide to the many genera of the family Fabaceae and also the principle uses of the genus. ]. Moist or dry, rocky thickets, often on open banks, sometimes in pine forest; at elevations up to 1,500 metres[ 331 Title Flora of Guatemala Publication Author Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark Website http://www.archive.org/ Publisher Year 1946 - 1976 ISBN Description A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/ ].