Centrosema pubescens Benth.
synonym | Bradburya pubescens (Benth.) Kuntze |
synonym | Bradburya pubescens (Benth.)Kuntze |
synonym | Bradburya schiedeana (Schltdl.) Rose |
synonym | Centrosema ferrugineum A.Rich. |
synonym | Centrosema intermedium A.Rich. |
synonym | Centrosema salzmannii Benth. |
synonym | Centrosema schiedeanum (Schltdl.) R.J. Williams & R.J. Clem. |
synonym | Centrosema virginianum (L.) "Benth., p.p." |
synonym | Clitoria schiedeana Schltdl. |
synonym | Ternatea schiedeana (Schltdl.) Kuntze |
Creoles and pidgins; French-based |
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Créole Maurice |
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Créole Réunion |
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Créole Seychelles |
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Français / French |
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Other |
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Global description
Centrosema pubescens is a twining or climbing herbaceous vine, annual or perennial, with alternate leaves, and compound trifoliate with broad oval leaflets and long petioles. This plant is slightly hairy or glabrous. The flowers are of papilionaceae type, purple pink to white in color, and rather large (about 3 cm wide). They are grouped by 2-3 in axillary inflorescence with long peduncles. The fruit is a flat linear pod with marked sides and the tip is extended by an elongated beak. It contains 15 to 22 seeds with smooth integument, ranging from reddish-brown to black.
Cotyledons
The cotyledons are held by a petiole of 5 to 7 mm long. The leaf blade is sagittate (arrowhead shape) 25-30 mm long and 12 mm wide, with a clear midrib, and light green in color.
First leaves
The first leaves are alternate, compound, trifoliate, carried by a petiole 2 to 3.5 cm long. The terminal leaflets are oblong oval, 3.5 to 3.8 cm long and 1.7 to 2 cm wide, with a pointed apex.
General habit
Long vigorous twining vine, creeping and climbing, whose stem can measure several meters.
Underground system
The root is a perennial taproot.
Stem
The stem is slender, cylindrical to finely fluted, usually twisted, full, covered with a fine pubescence of hairs pressed upwards.
Leaf
The leaves are alternate, trifoliate compound. The petiole measures 1 to 3 cm long. It is bordered by two oval lanceolate stipules with an acute tip, 2 to 4 mm long. The leaflets are oval, elliptical or oblong, rounded base, with the tip acute to obtuse or rounded, slightly acuminate or mucronate. They measure 4 to 7.5 cm long and 2 to 4.5 cm wide. The venation is reticulate. The leaflets are slightly pubescent (hairs are present at least on the ribs of the bottom surface) covered with a soft and short hairs. Filiform stipels frame the base of the petiolules.
Inflorescence
The inflorescence is axillary and consists of 2 or 3 flowers at the end of a long stalk of 2 to 5 cm.
Flower
The flowers are pink purple or white with purple markings. The peducles are usually longer than the petioles. Bracteoles are oval elliptical and measure 8 to 12 mm long. The calyx measures 10 to 12 mm long. It comprises of four acute triangular lobes, the lower is linear and measures 5 to 7 mm long. The corolla is papilionaceae type. It is 3 cm long on average. The standard measures 2 to 4 cm in diameter. It is notched at the top. It is whitish to cream, striped with purple and yellow on the outside. The wings are lilac in color, purple at the apex. The keel is short and obtuse.
Fruit
The fruit is a linear pod 8 to 20 cm long and 5-7 mm wide, with the sutures marked by ribs and the apex extended by a beak of 1 cm long. It contains 15 to 22 seeds.
Seed
The seed is oblong to rectangular and elliptical in cross-section, 4-5 mm long. It is smooth, shiny, blackish-brown or reddish-brown to greenish-yellow with dark mottling.
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Life cycle
Mayotte : Centrosema pubescens flowers and fruits all year round.
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Growth form
Liana climbing structure
Leaf arrangement
Leaf type
Type of prefoliation
Compound leaf type
Latex
Stem section
Root type
Hollow or solid stem
Stipule type
Leaf attachment type
Fruit type
Pod type
Cotyledon type
Lamina base
Lamina margin
Lamina apex
Upperface pilosity
Upperface hair type
Lowerface pilosity
Lamina section
Lamina Veination
Flower color
Inflorescence type
Stem pilosity
Stem hair type
Life form
Bipinnate leaves | 1 to 2 pairs of pinnae | Mimosa pudica | |||||
3 to 9 pairs of pinnae | Mimosa diplotricha | ||||||
Pinnate leaves | Clitoria heterophylla | ||||||
Trifoliate leaves | symmetrical lateral leaflets | elliptical or lateral leaflets | terminal leaflets equal to lateral leaflets | Teramnus labialis | |||
Terminal leaflets larger than lateral leaflets | very marked ribs | Cajanus scarabaeoides | |||||
ribs lightly marked | leaflets > 10 mm | Desmodium adscendens | |||||
leaflets < 10 mm | Desmodium triflorum | ||||||
Ends of leaflets wedged | Narrow lanceolate leaflets (2 cm) | Macroptilium lathyroides | |||||
large acuminate leaflets | Trigonal stem, scabrous at the angles | Desmodium intortum | |||||
Cylindrical stem | Leaflets with a silver tinge | petiolules of 2 mm | Desmodium incanum | ||||
petiolules 5 to 15 mm | Desmodium uncinatum | ||||||
Green uniform leaflets | wide terminal leaflet (7 cm) | Centrosema pubescens | |||||
very wide terminal leaflet(15 cm) | Centrosema plumieri | ||||||
asymmetrical lateral leaflets | Terminal leaflet has a longer width than length | Rhynchosia malacophylla | |||||
terminal leaflet as wide as long | large leaves (15 cm) | Rhynchosia viscosa | |||||
small leaves (7 cm) | Rhynchosia minima | ||||||
elongated terminal leaflets | lateral leaflets with a single rounded lobe | ||||||
lateral leaflets without lobe | large stipules (6 mm) | Lablab purpureus | |||||
small stipules (2 mm) | Mucuna pruriens |
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Criteria to distinguish the 3 Centrosema species occuring in Reunion Island
Criteria | C. pubescens | C. virginianum | C. plumieri |
Leaf size | 5-10 cm | 3-5 cm | 12-25 cm |
Leaflet length | 5-7 cm | 2-5 cm | 5-17 cm |
Leaflet width | 1 cm | 0,5 cm | 2-13 cm |
Leaflet shape | oval | narrow elliptic | oval, oblong, elliptic |
Leaflet hairiness | hairy | glabrous | glabrous |
Bract | 8-10 mm | 8-10 mm | 6-25 mm |
Clix lobs | very unequal | sub-equal | unequal |
Flower color | light purple or white with purple center | dark purple | white with red center |
Flower size | 1,5-2 cm | 1-1,5 cm | 4-6 cm |
Pod length | 12-15 cm | 8-10 cm | 10-20 cm |
Pod width | 6-7 mm | 3-4 mm | 9-15 mm |
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Comoros: Species of low and medium altitude, it is present near the habitats in gardens and crops. It is a weed of cassava crops thus it can stifle the plants.
Madagascar: Centrosema pubescens is a species introduced as green manure and forage plant. It is now naturalized and invasive especially in the Midwest (on embankments, roadsides, and sometimes in orchards).
Mauritius: forage species previously introduced in experimental stations and naturalized in some places.
Mayotte: C. pubescens is an exotic species naturalized in the open environments of the hygrophilic area, in particular in crops, pastures, gardens. It is also found in padza, and in the dry thickets of the islets and the points.
Reunion: This species initially cultivated as a forage is now widely naturalized and present in all sugarcane fields of Reunion Island in low altitude areas. . It can occur occasionally up to 1000 m altitude.
West Indies: Centrosema pubescens is a very ubiquitous indigenous species.
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Habitat
Geographical distibution
Centrosema pubescens is native to Tropical America from Mexico to South Brasil.
Worldwide distribution
It has been introduced in Tropical Africa, in the Indian Ocean islands (Reunion, Mauritius, Seychelles, Comoros, Mayotte), in India, South-East Asia, and New Caledonia
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Local harmfulness
Comoros: Centrosema pubescens is a weed infrequent in cassava crops but abundant where it is and can suffocate cassava plants. The species has also been observed in fallow and vanilla plantations. It can stifle vanilla vine and as well as its stake. Madagascar: Weed of low frequency and rarely troublesome in crops.
Mauritius: This species is not present in crops.
Mayotte: C. pubescens is a very frequent weed, present in 32% of agricultural plots. It is very common in forage and fruit crops. It can be also recorded in food crops. It is particularly abundant in the south of the island.
Reunion: weed present in 9% of cultivated land, mainly sugarcane but also pineapple growing and market gardening. Generally of low cover, it can reach 50% coverage in some sugarcane fields, where the intertwining of stems in canes hampers significantly the growth and harvest of sugarcane.
Seychelles: Common but scarce.
West Indies: Centrosema pubescens is a weed present in almost all crops. If it is highly harmful for sugarcane cultivation, it is not very frequent in fruit and vegetable crops where it is very rarely present. However, it can become very invasive in banana plantations, requiring frequent manual intervention (clearing and uprooting) to free and preserve the plants in production.
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Agronomic: In Mayotte, Centrosema pubescens was used in the 1990s as a cover crop on padza.
Fodder : C. pubescens is a good forrage plant.
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Comoros: Centrosema pubescens is controled by manual weeding by making sure to remove the roots.
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
- Hutchinson, J., Dalziel, J.M., Keay, R.W.J., Hepper, F.N. 1958. Flora of west tropical africa. The Whitefriars Press, London & Tonbridge, Great Britain.
- Johnson, D.E. 1997. Les adventices en riziculture en Afrique de l'Ouest. ADRAO/WARDA, Bouaké, Côte-d'Ivoire.
- http://idao.cirad.fr/SpecieSheet?sheet=adventoi/especes/c/cospu/cospu_fr.html
- Le Bourgeois, T., A. Carrara, M. Dodet, W. Dogley, A. Gaungoo, P. Grard, Y. Ibrahim, E. Jeuffrault, G. Lebreton, P. Poilecot, J. Prosperi, J. A. Randriamampianina, A. P. Andrianaivo and F. Théveny (2008). Advent-OI : Principales adventices des îles du sud-ouest de l'Océan Indien. Cédérom. Montpellier, France, Cirad ed.
- Fournet, J. 2002. Flore illustrée des phanérogames de Guadeloupe et de Martinique. Cirad, Gondwana éditions, Montpellier, France.
- Barthelat, F. 2019. La Flore illustrée de Mayotte. Meze, Paris, France, Collection Inventaires et Biodiversité, Biotope – Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle. 487 p.
- Huat, J., Nagy, M., Carpente, A., Schwartz, M., Le Bourgeois, T. & Marnotte, P. 2021. Guide de la flore spontannée des agrosystèmes de Mayotte. Montpellier, Cirad. 150 p.
- Heuzé V., Tran G., 2016. Centro (Centrosema molle). Feedipedia, a programme by INRAE, CIRAD, AFZ and FAO. https://www.feedipedia.org/node/321 Last updated on April 12, 2016, 12:17
- Berhaut, J. 1976. Flore illustrée du Sénégal. Dicotylédones, tome 5, Légumineuses Papilionacées. Gouvernement du Sénégal, Ministère du Développement Rural et de l’Hydraulique, Direction des Eaux et Forêts, Dakar, Sénégal.
- Grossard, F., Le Bourgeois, T., Dumbardon-Martial, E. & Gervais, L. 2013. Adventilles - Guadeloupe & Martinique - Les adventices des Antilles françaises. Abymes, Guadeloupe, France, Les éditions du CTCS Guadeloupe. 195 p.
- https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:485611-1
- Hutchinson, J., Dalziel, J.M., Keay, R.W.J., Hepper, F.N. 1958. Flora of west tropical africa. The Whitefriars Press, London & Tonbridge, Great Britain.
- Johnson, D.E. 1997. Les adventices en riziculture en Afrique de l'Ouest. ADRAO/WARDA, Bouaké, Côte-d'Ivoire.
- http://idao.cirad.fr/SpecieSheet?sheet=adventoi/especes/c/cospu/cospu_fr.html
- Le Bourgeois, T., A. Carrara, M. Dodet, W. Dogley, A. Gaungoo, P. Grard, Y. Ibrahim, E. Jeuffrault, G. Lebreton, P. Poilecot, J. Prosperi, J. A. Randriamampianina, A. P. Andrianaivo and F. Théveny (2008). Advent-OI : Principales adventices des îles du sud-ouest de l'Océan Indien. Cédérom. Montpellier, France, Cirad ed.
- Fournet, J. 2002. Flore illustrée des phanérogames de Guadeloupe et de Martinique. Cirad, Gondwana éditions, Montpellier, France.
- Barthelat, F. 2019. La Flore illustrée de Mayotte. Meze, Paris, France, Collection Inventaires et Biodiversité, Biotope – Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle. 487 p.
- Huat, J., Nagy, M., Carpente, A., Schwartz, M., Le Bourgeois, T. & Marnotte, P. 2021. Guide de la flore spontannée des agrosystèmes de Mayotte. Montpellier, Cirad. 150 p.
- Heuzé V., Tran G., 2016. Centro (Centrosema molle). Feedipedia, a programme by INRAE, CIRAD, AFZ and FAO. https://www.feedipedia.org/node/321 Last updated on April 12, 2016, 12:17
- Berhaut, J. 1976. Flore illustrée du Sénégal. Dicotylédones, tome 5, Légumineuses Papilionacées. Gouvernement du Sénégal, Ministère du Développement Rural et de l’Hydraulique, Direction des Eaux et Forêts, Dakar, Sénégal.
- Grossard, F., Le Bourgeois, T., Dumbardon-Martial, E. & Gervais, L. 2013. Adventilles - Guadeloupe & Martinique - Les adventices des Antilles françaises. Abymes, Guadeloupe, France, Les éditions du CTCS Guadeloupe. 195 p.
- https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:485611-1
Clé d'identification des graines des principales adventices de La Réunion. Version 1 - 55 espèces
Plantes envahissantes et dégradation des pâturages et des espaces pastoraux en Nouvelle-Calédonie
La flore des mauvaises herbes de la Canne à Sucre à La Réunion. Caractérisation à partir des témoins des essais d’herbicides. 2005-2016
Weeds of tropical rainfed cropping systems: are there patterns at a global level of perception?
Herbarium pictures ReCOLNAT: https://explore.recolnat.org/search/botanique/simplequery=Centrosema%2520pubescens
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Root | Root |
Kingdom | Plantae |
Phylum | Tracheophyta |
Class | Magnoliopsida |
Order | Fabales |
Family | Fabaceae |
Genus | Centrosema |
Species | Centrosema pubescens Benth. |