Desmanthus virgatus | |
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Cultivated | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Fabales |
Family: | Fabaceae |
Subfamily: | Caesalpinioideae |
Clade: | Mimosoid clade |
Genus: | Desmanthus |
Species: | D. virgatus |
Binomial name | |
Desmanthus virgatus | |
Synonyms | |
Acacia angustisiliqua Contents |
Desmanthus virgatus is a species of flowering plant in the legume family that is known by many common names, including wild tantan, prostrate bundleflower, dwarf koa, desmanto, acacia courant, acacia savane, pompon blank, [4] adormidera, brusca prieta, frijolillo, ground tamarind, guajillo, guashillo, huarangillo, langalet, petit acacia, petit cassie, petit mimosa, virgate mimosa, [5] and slender mimosa, [6] as well as simply desmanthus. [4] [7] It is native to the American tropics and subtropics but is present elsewhere as an introduced species. In some areas it is cultivated as a fodder and forage crop. [6]
This plant is a woody perennial herb or shrub growing up to 1.5, [5] 2, [4] or even 3 [7] meters tall. Its herbage dies back to the woody taproot during dry conditions and sprouts up again when adequate moisture is available. One plant can grow up to 50 stems, becoming quite robust. [4] The older stems are brown to red in color and are shiny and hairless. The leaves are bipinnate, divided into a few pairs of leaflets which are each subdivided into smaller leaflets that measure up to 7 [5] to 9 [4] millimeters long. The inflorescence is a head of up to 11 [8] to 22 flowers. The plant bears perfect, male, and sterile flowers. [5] The flowers are white to yellowish. [4] A short stalk bears up to 11 legume fruit pods which are linear in shape, dark red to blackish in color, and up to 8.5 [5] or 9 [4] centimeters long. They dehisce along each edge to release up to 26 [5] [8] to 30 [4] seeds each. Flowers and fruits are produced year-round in tropical locales with enough water. Outside the tropics it reproduces mainly in spring and summer. [5]
This plant grows in open habitat types. It easily colonizes disturbed habitat such as roadsides and quarries. It grows in clay and sandy soil types. [7] It is most common at lower altitudes. [5] Its habit of dying back to the root crown helps it to withstand drought, frost, fire, and grazing. It resprouts when conditions are less harsh. It cannot tolerate shade, however, and it does not thrive under a tree canopy. [4]
This species is native to the southern United States, parts of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean and has been introduced outside its native range purposely and accidentally. In the United States it is considered to be native to Texas, but it also grows in Florida, where it may [5] [9] or may not [4] be native. It was first reported in Louisiana in 2011 when it was discovered sprouting in a vacant lot in Shreveport. [9] It is naturalized in several African countries, such as Senegal, Zambia, and South Africa, as well as Pacific Islands such as New Caledonia and Hawaii, plus Indonesia, the Philippines, India, and Australia. [8] It is considered to be a weed in many places. [10]
Prostrate bundleflower is palatable to livestock and non-toxic, and it contains ample protein. [5] It has been found to put weight on cows. [11] While it makes a good food plant for cattle, it is not as promising a feed for pigs. [12] The plant appears to help control erosion [8] and fixes nitrogen, improving the soil. It may be cut for fodder or grown in a field, as it is very tolerant of grazing. [7] The action of grazing animals actually stimulates the plant and more seedlings survive under the pressure of grazing. [13] Livestock, such as sheep, help disperse the plant's seeds throughout the rangeland, as they survive passage through the gut. [14] Several cultivars have been commercially released, including 'Marc' [5] and 'Balli Germplasm'. [15]
Desmanthus virgata is sometimes considered to be a species complex that includes Desmanthus acuminatus , D. paspalaceus , and D. tatuhyensis . [16] Until recently, many authors grouped several other Desmanthus under the circumscription of D. virgata, including D. pubescens , D. pernambucanus , D. glandulosus and D. leptophyllus . [5]
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of grasses. According to Britannica, there exists four savanna forms; savanna woodland where trees and shrubs form a light canopy, tree savanna with scattered trees and shrubs, shrub savanna with distributed shrubs, and grass savanna where trees and shrubs are mostly nonexistent.
Pasture is land used for grazing.
Acacia koa, commonly known as koa, is a species of flowering tree in the family Fabaceae. It is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, where it is the second most common tree. The highest populations are on Hawaiʻi, Maui and Oʻahu.
Desmanthus is a genus of flowering plants in the mimosoid clade of the subfamily Caesalpinioideae of the pea family, Fabaceae. The name is derived from the Greek words δεσμός (desmos), meaning "bundle", and ἄνθος (anthos), meaning "flower". It contains about 24 species of herbs and shrubs that are sometimes described as being suffruiticose and have bipinnate leaves. Desmanthus is closely related to Leucaena and in appearance is similar to Neptunia. Like Mimosa and Neptunia, Desmanthus species fold their leaves in the evening. They are native to Mexico and North, Central and South America. Members of the genus are commonly known as bundleflowers. Donkey beans is another common name and originated in Central America, where Desmanthus species are highly regarded as fodder for these domestic draught animals.
Acacia, commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a genus of about 1084 species of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America and Australasia, but is now reserved for species mainly from Australia, with others from New Guinea, Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean. The genus name is Neo-Latin, borrowed from the Greek ἀκακία, a term used by Dioscorides for a preparation extracted from the leaves and fruit pods of Vachellia nilotica, the original type of the genus. In his Pinax (1623), Gaspard Bauhin mentioned the Greek ἀκακία from Dioscorides as the origin of the Latin name.
Vachellia karroo, commonly known as the sweet thorn, common acacia, Karoo thorn, Cape gum or cockspur thorn, is a species of Vachellia, in the Mimosa sub-family (Mimosoideae) of the Fabaceae or pea family, which is native to southern Africa from southern Angola east to Mozambique, and south to South Africa.
Senegalia laeta, the gay acacia or daga, is a legume found in the family Fabaceae. It was formerly included in the genus Acacia.
Desmanthus illinoensis, commonly known as Illinois bundleflower, prairie-mimosa or prickleweed, is a common plant in many areas of the south central and Midwestern US.
Desmanthus bicornutus is a species of flowering plant in the legume family native to northern and central Mexico and the southwestern United States. It is an "abundant roadside weed across its native range." It is known by the common names ruby bundleflower, two-horn bundleflower, and in Mexican Spanish malvilla de laguna.
Arachis pintoi, the Pinto peanut, is a forage plant native to Cerrado vegetation in Brazil. It is native to the valleys of the upper São Francisco and the Jequitinhonha rivers of Minas Gerais. It has been named after the Brazilian botanist Geraldo Pinto, who first collected the plant at the locality of Boca do Córrego, município de Belmonte in 1954 and suggested its potential as a forage. The species has been first described by A. Krapovickas and W. Gregory in 1994.
Aeschynomene americana is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae (legume) known by many common names, including shyleaf, forage aeschynomene, American joint vetch, thornless mimosa, bastard sensitive plant (Jamaica), pega pega, pega ropa, antejuela, ronte, cujicillo, and dormilonga. It is native to Central America, parts of South America, the West Indies, and Florida. It is now found in the US, in Australia and in South-East Asia.
Desmanthus velutinus is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name velvet bundleflower. It is native to New Mexico and Texas in the United States and Coahuila in Mexico. It may also occur in Oklahoma.
Trichanthera gigantea is a species of flowering plant in the acanthus family, Acanthaceae. The species is known by many common names, including madre de agua, suiban, cenicero, tuno, naranjillo, and palo de agua. It is native to Central America and northern South America. It has also been introduced to other tropical regions such as Vietnam, Cambodia, and the Philippines.
Urochloa brizantha is a species of grass known by the common name palisade grass. It is often used as a forage for livestock.
Digitaria didactyla is a species of grass known by the common names blue couch, Queensland blue couch, blue serangoon grass, green serangoon grass, blue stargrass, and petit gazon. It is native to Mauritius, Réunion, parts of mainland Africa, and Madagascar. It has been introduced widely outside its native range, mainly for use as a pasture and turf grass. It has naturalized in some regions.
Alysicarpus vaginalis is a species of flowering plant in the legume family, Fabaceae. It is native to parts of Africa and Asia, and it has been introduced to other continents, such as Australia and the Americas. It is cultivated as a fodder for livestock, for erosion control, and as a green manure. Common names include alyce clover, buffalo clover, buffalo-bur, one-leaf clover, and white moneywort.
Hyparrhenia rufa is a species of grass known by the common names jaraguá, jaraguá grass, and giant thatching grass. It is native to Africa and it is widespread in the world as a cultivated forage and fodder for livestock and a naturalized and sometimes invasive species.
Caroxylon vermiculatum, commonly known as Mediterranean saltwort, is a perennial plant in the family Amaranthaceae. It has many synonyms, including Salsola vermiculata and Nitrosalsola vermiculata. It is native to arid and semi-arid regions of the Middle East, North Africa and southern Europe where it is used as a fodder plant for livestock.
Echinochloa pyramidalis is a species of large grass, occurring naturally in flooded regions and beside lakes in tropical Africa and America, and introduced to various other countries. It is commonly known as antelope grass.
Eragrostis setifolia, commonly known as neverfail grass, is a species of perennial grass in the family Poaceae native to Australia, where it is widespread and common throughout the range lands and is commonly utilized as a pasture grass. According to IUCN classification it is listed as a least concern species throughout most of its range with the exception of Victoria where it is classified as vulnerable. It is capable of C4 photosynthesis.