Burny bean | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Fabales |
Family: | Fabaceae |
Subfamily: | Faboideae |
Genus: | Mucuna |
Species: | M. gigantea |
Binomial name | |
Mucuna gigantea | |
Synonyms [2] | |
Mucuna gigantea, commonly known as burny bean, burney bean, velvet bean or sea bean is a species of liana from the legume family Fabaceae. Its natural range roughly follows the perimeter of the Indian Ocean and includes Africa, India, Malesia, New Guinea and northern Australia. Many parts of the plant - in particular the new growth, flowers and fruit - are covered in fine irritant hairs.
Mucuna gigantea is a large woody twining climber with a stem diameter of up to 10 cm (3.9 in). [4] It usually grows to about 30 m (98 ft) in length, although it may reach up to 80 m (260 ft). [5] New growth is covered in orange-brown hairs, while mature parts of the stem are glabrous with dark, raised lenticels, and the stem may be irregularly shaped. [4] [5] [6] [7] The trifoliate leaves are arranged alternately on the stems, [6] [7] attached to the twigs by petioles up to 15 cm (5.9 in) long, and the petiole base is swollen into a pulvinus. [5] [6] The central leaflet is elliptic to ovate while the two lateral leaflets are oblique (asymetric), and they measure up to 15 cm (5.9 in) long by 8 cm (3.1 in) wide. [4] [6] [7] All leaflets have rounded bases and acuminate to apiculate tips, [4] [5] [6] with 4-6 pairs of lateral veins either side of the midrib. [6] [7]
The inflorescence is produced in the leaf axils, and is a pendulous, umbel-like cluster on a long branched peduncle measuring between 8 and 25 cm (3.1 and 9.8 in) long. The individual flowers are held on short lateral stalks. [4] [5] [6] Each flower has a cup-shaped calyx with two lips, clad in fine greyish hairs. The corolla lobes are white, pale-green or pale lilac; the standard is up to 3.5 cm (1.4 in) long, and the wings and keel slightly longer. Most parts of the inflorescence are clothed in fine pale hairs. [4] [5] [6]
The dark brown fruit are oblong pods, covered in brown or golden irritant hairs and measuring up to 15 cm (5.9 in) long, 5 cm (2.0 in) wide and 2 cm (0.79 in) thick. [4] [5] [6] [7] They are almost rectangular in cross-section with short wings about 5 mm (0.20 in) wide at each corner. They usually contain 1 to 4 dark brown or black seeds which are disc-like but not regularly rounded, measuring about 25–30 mm (0.98–1.18 in) diameter by about 6–10 mm (0.24–0.39 in) thick. A very obvious hilum extends about three-quarters of the way around the perimeter of the seed. [4] [5] [6] The seeds can be dispersed for long distances by sea currents, giving it a near pan-tropical distribution. [5] [8]
Germination in this species is hypogeal, the cotyledons remaining below the soil surface. The first true leaves are scale-like, and growth is very rapid, a height of a metre or more occurring in three weeks. The tissues are easily damaged, even the flowers turning black when injured.[ citation needed ]
This species was first described in 1802 as Dolichos giganteus by the German botanist Carl Ludwig Willdenow. [9] It was transferred to the genus Mucuna by the Swiss botanist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in 1825, and Mucuna gigantea(Willd.) DC. remains the currently accepted name. [10] [2] There were two more combinations for this taxon published (neither of which is accepted) - namely Stizolobium giganteum(Willd.) Moon by the Scottish botanist Alexander Moon in 1824, and Negretia gigantea(Willd.) Oken by the German botanist Lorenz Oken in 1841.
In a revision of selected Asian species of Mucuna in 1976, the Japanese botanists Hiroyoshi Ohashi and Yoichi Tateishi moved the formerly accepted species M. tashiroiHayata, a Taiwanese endemic, to a subspecies of this taxon, namely M. gigantea subsp. tashiroi(Hayata) H.Ohashi & Tateishi. [2] [11] A number of other authors have also proposed subspecies for this taxon, however these are dismissed in a 2016 paper, leaving just ssp. tashiroi and the autonym. [12]
Mucuna gigantea occurs in tropical Africa, southwestern and southern Asia, and Oceania. In Africa its range extends from the Republic of Congo to Kenya, Tanzania and Madagascar. In Asia, its range includes India, Myanmar, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. In Oceania it is found in New Guinea, the states of Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales in Australia, and numerous Pacific islands. [4] [6] [13]
The natural habitat of this species is beach forest, monsoon forest, and lowland and upland rainforest. [4] [6] In Africa it also occurs inland where it may be found close to large watercourses and lakes. [5] [13]
This species has a very wide distribution and thus may be treated differently in different areas. For example, in the Australian state of Queensland it is considered to be of least concern, [1] however in the Indian state of Odisha it is classed as endangered. [14] As of 4 November 2023 [update] it has not been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
After suitable preparation, the seeds are eaten in Kenya and India. Aboriginal Australians bake them on hot stones, and having removed the skin, grind them into flour, mix this with water, wrap the dough in leaves and further bake it. An extract of the root has been used against schistosomiasis and gonorrhea, and the powdered seeds have been used as a laxative. The intensely irritating hairs from the pods have been used as poison in Malaysia, and have been mixed with food for control of rats. [5]
Analysis of the seeds shows 30.6% crude proteins, 9% crude lipids, 6% ash and 42.8% nitrogen free extract. The beans contain a relatively high proportion of the essential amino acids, leucine and isoleucine, and the minerals potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron are also abundant. [15] Also present is the amino acid levodopa, which is used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, but the beans also contain toxins, which can only be destroyed by lengthy soaking and boiling. [5]
Vigna is a genus of plants in the legume family, Fabaceae, with a pantropical distribution. It includes some well-known cultivated species, including many types of beans. Some are former members of the genus Phaseolus. According to Hortus Third, Vigna differs from Phaseolus in biochemistry and pollen structure, and in details of the style and stipules.
Mucuna is a genus of around 114 accepted species of climbing lianas (vines) and shrubs of the family Fabaceae: tribe Phaseoleae, typically found in tropical and subtropical forests in the Americas, sub-Saharan Africa, southern, southeastern, and eastern Asia, New Guinea, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.
Acacia cultriformis, known as the knife-leaf wattle, dogtooth wattle, half-moon wattle or golden-glow wattle, is a perennial tree or shrub of the genus Acacia native to Australia. It is widely cultivated, and has been found to have naturalised in Asia, Africa, North America, New Zealand and South America. A. cultriformis grows to a height of about 4 m (13 ft) and has triangle-shaped phyllodes. The yellow flowers appear from August to November in its natural range. Its attractive foliage and bright flowers make it a popular garden plant.
Mucuna pruriens is a tropical legume native to Africa and tropical Asia and widely naturalized and cultivated. Its English common names include monkey tamarind, velvet bean, Bengal velvet bean, Florida velvet bean, Mauritius velvet bean, Yokohama velvet bean, cowage, cowitch, lacuna bean, and Lyon bean.
Hovea elliptica, commonly known as the tree hovea or karri blue bush, is an ornamental plant in the family Fabaceae that is native to Western Australia. This plant was cited as Hovea Celsi in Description des plantes rares cultivees a Malmaison et a Navarre by Aimé Jacques Alexandre Bonpland.
Acacia complanata, known as long-pod wattle and flat-stemmed wattle, is a perennial tree native to eastern Australia.
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Acacia myrtifolia, known colloquially as myrtle wattle, red stem wattle or red-stemmed wattle, is a species of Acacia native to coastal areas of southern and eastern Australia.
Xanthostemon chrysanthus, commonly known as golden penda, is a species of tree in the myrtle family Myrtaceae which is endemic to north eastern Queensland, Australia. It is a popular garden plant with showy yellow blooms, and is the floral emblem of the city of Cairns.
Hakea tephrosperma commonly known as hooked needlewood, is a shrub or small tree species in the family Proteaceae. It has cream flowers, needle-shaped leaves and is one of the taller species adaptable for dry to temperate locations.
Nymphaea gigantea, commonly known as the giant waterlily or blue waterlily, is a perennial, herbaceous plant in the family Nymphaeaceae which is native to parts of northern and eastern Australia, and it has been widely cultivated elsewhere. It is an aquatic plant whose natural habitat is permanent and semi-permanent still water bodies
Acacia aculeatissima, commonly known as thin-leaf wattle or snake wattle, is a shrub belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Phyllodineae that is native to parts of eastern Australia.
Mucuna urens is a species of large liana from the family Fabaceae. The plant is native to tropical Central and South America, and has been introduced into the Republic of the Congo. Common names include horse-eye bean and ox-eye bean.
Mucuna paniculata is a species of flowering, woody vine in the family Fabaceae, the bean family. It is native to northern Madagascar where it is locally known in Malagasy as vohinkovika. It flowers between June and August.
Hydriastele wendlandiana, commonly known as Wendland's palm, cat o' nine tails, creek palm or kentia palm, is a tall, multi-stemmed tree in the palm family Arecaceae. It is native to New Guinea and the Australian states of Queensland and the Northern Territory.
Argophyllum curtum is a plant in the Argophyllaceae family endemic to a small part of north eastern Queensland. It was described and named in 2018.
Argophyllum palumense is a plant in the Argophyllaceae family endemic to a small part of north eastern Queensland. It was described and named in 2018.
Ormosia ormondii, commonly known as yellow bean, is a tree in the legume family Fabaceae which is endemic to northeastern Queensland, Australia.
Polhillides velutina is a species of flowering plant in the legume family, Fabaceae. It is the sole species in the genus Polhillides. It is an annual, perennial or sub-shrub, that is native to tropical regions of Africa and Madagascar, parts of Asia, New Guinea, and Australia. In Africa, its habitats include woodland and grassland in the Sudanian region, wooded grassland and grassland in the Victoria Basin forest–savanna mosaic, and wooded grassland and grassland in the Somalia-Masai region. It is found at elevations of up to 1,320 m (4,330 ft) above sea level.
Ryparosa kurrangii is a rare plant in the family Achariaceae which is endemic to a very small part of the Queensland tropical rain forests. It is a small tree growing under the rainforest canopy, producing its flowers and fruit on the lower part of the trunk. It was previously considered to be a form of the Ryparosa javanica complex of species.