| Mucuna urens | |
|---|---|
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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. urens |
| Binomial name | |
| Mucuna urens | |
| Synonyms | |
List
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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. [2]
The word mucuna is the vernacular name for Mucuna urens in an indigenous language of Brazil, and in 1763 this word was chosen by the French botanist Michel Adanson in his Familles naturelles des plantes to be the generic epithet for this genus of legumes, [3] [4] although M. urens was itself known as Dolichos urens until being transferred to Mucuna many years later. [5] [6]
Mucuna urens is a large, vigorous, much-branched, twining liana that climbs into the tree canopy. [7] The stems are thick and soft, and bear alternate, trifoliate leaves with petioles up to 15 cm (6 in) long. The leaflets are ovate or elliptical, and up to 15 cm (6 in) long; the lateral leaflets are somewhat oblique, and all leaflets have rounded bases and apiculate tips. The inflorescences grow laterally or in the axils of the leaves and are pendulous racemes with peduncles up to a metre long, with the flowering part near the tip. The calyx has a 1 cm (0.4 in) long tube and the petals are thick, waxy and yellowish. The standard is slightly longer than the wings and keel. The flowers are followed by transversely-ridged, oblong pods about 15 cm × 5 cm (6 in × 2 in) bearing orange-brown bristly stinging hairs; the pods have a suture underneath and two longitudinal, undulating wings. The one to four seeds are rounded, almost surrounded by hilum and 2.5 cm (1 in) or more in diameter. [2] [8] [9]
This liana is native to the West Indies, Central and South America, its range extending from Panama to Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and Brazil. It grows in forests and woodland at altitudes of up to 1,800 m (6,000 ft). [7]
Mucuna urens is used in traditional medicine. A tincture made from the powdered bean macerated in alcohol is a soothing remedy used against hemorrhoids, especially those inclined to bleed. [10] The stinging hairs that grow on the pods can be taken internally against intestinal worms, which are expelled alive. [2] These hairs are irritating to the skin and cause intense itching, with reddening and the formation of tiny pustules, soon after contact; the active chemical is the proteolytic enzyme, mucunain. [7]
Potable water can be obtained from the fleshy stems. [9] Fibres from the stem are used to make strong rope, and the seeds are used to make beads and ornaments, as well as being used as famine food. [7] An extract of the seeds given to male guinea pigs at low dosages was found to cause the degeneration of sperm, raising the possibility that the plant could be used as a male anti-fertility agent. [2] [11]
Mucuna is a genus of around 100 accepted species of climbing lianas (vines) and shrubs of the family Fabaceae: tribe Phaseoleae, typically found in tropical forests.
Strongylodon macrobotrys, commonly known as jade vine, emerald vine or turquoise jade vine, is a species of leguminous perennial liana endemic to the tropical forests of the Philippines. Its local name is tayabak. A member of the Fabaceae, it is closely related to beans such as kidney bean and runner bean. Strongylodon macrobotrys is pollinated by bats.
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.
Anemonoides quinquefolia, a flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, is native to North America. It is commonly called wood anemone or windflower, not to be confused with Anemonoides nemorosa, a closely related European species also known by these common names. The specific epithet quinquefolia means "five-leaved", which is a misnomer since each leaf has just three leaflets. A plant typically has a single, small white flower with 5 sepals.
Dipteryx charapilla is a little-known species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, a large to mid-sized tree growing along rivers in the rainforests of Brazil. and Peru.
Guilandina bonduc, commonly known as grey nicker, nicker bean, fever nut or knicker nut, is a species of flowering plant in the senna tribe, Caesalpinieae, that has a pantropical distribution. It is a liana that reaches a length of 6 m (20 ft) or more and scrambles over other vegetation. The stems are covered in curved spines. Its 2 cm (0.8 in) grey seeds, known as nickernuts, are buoyant and durable enough to be dispersed by ocean currents.
Endosamara is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae, tribe Wisterieae. Its only species is Endosamara racemosa, a liana found from South India through Indo-China to the Philippines.
Eriocapitella hupehensis, a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, is native to Asia. The specific epithet hupehensis, which means "from Hupeh province, China", refers to a region where the species is known to occur. In Chinese, it is called dǎ pò wǎn huā huā (打破碗花花), which means "broken bowl flower".
Dysoxylum rufum is a rainforest tree in the family Meliaceae, found in eastern Australia. It occurs on a variety of different soils and rainforest types. From as far south as Bulahdelah, New South Wales to the McIlwraith Range in far north eastern Australia. The specific epithet rufum refers to the rusty red of the leaf, fruit and flower hairs of this species.
Cnidoscolus texanus, commonly known as Texas bullnettle, tread-softly, mala mujer, and finger rot, is a perennial herb covered with stinging hairs. The main stem, branches, leaves, and seed pods are all covered with hispid or glass-like bristly hairs that release an allergenic toxin upon contact. Contact with the plant results in intense pain: stinging, burning, and itching lasting for hours. It is native to the U.S. states of Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma and also native to the northeastern state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. It is an herbaceous flowering plant that grows between 30–80 cm (11.8–31.5 in) tall and as much as 1 m (3.3 ft) across. Texas bullnettle has showy, fragrant white flowers that can bloom throughout the year in southern regions of its distribution, predominantly March to November in northern regions. It is a drought-tolerant plant, therefore making it a superb choice for xeriscaping. This plant is attractive to birds, bees, butterflies, and other insects. The seeds are known to be consumed by Rio Grande wild turkeys and mourning doves.
Edward Johnston Alexander was an American botanist who discovered three species and one genus. He is the author or one of the authors of 205 entries in the International Plant Names Index. He was born in Asheville, North Carolina and studied at North Carolina State University from 1919 to 1923. He was a longtime assistant and curator at New York Botanical Garden (NYBG), originally under the guidance of Small. While at the NYBG, he served as an editor of the Garden's botanical journal Addisonia for about thirty years, until the journal ceased publication in 1964.
Mucuna monosperma, commonly known as negro beans in India, or deer-eye beans, donkey-eye beans, or ox-eye beans, is a large woody climber from the family Fabaceae. The plant has three layers; a brown pod covered in small hairs, curved petals usually colored purple and black round-shaped beans. Small hairs on the pod can irritate the skin.The petals of the Muncuna monnosperma flower opens at night and closes in the morning. It is found in India, including the eastern Himalayas, the northeastern states, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Thailand. It's natural habitat is evergreen forests, and it commonly grows near swamps or along streams.
Catalpa fargesii, the Chinese bean tree, is a species of tree in the family Bignoniaceae, native to China. Growing to about 25 m tall, it is a deciduous tree which produces abundant pink blossom in spring, followed by narrow brown beans-like fruit in the autumn. Some sources place the species as a synonym of Catalpa bungei.
Protea burchellii, also known as Burchell's sugarbush, is a flowering shrub in the genus Protea, which is endemic to the southwestern Cape Region of South Africa.
Protea decurrens, also known as linear-leaf sugarbush, is a shrub of the genus Protea, in the Proteaceae family, which is endemic to the southwestern Cape Region of South Africa. It is a small shrub with a thick underground rootstock, this structure throwing up numerous leafy branches, upon the base of which clusters of flower heads may appear close to the ground. It is pollinated by rodents and grows in low-altitude fynbos or renosterveld.
Mucuna gigantea is a species of large woody climber from the family Fabaceae. It is found in sub-Saharan Africa, India, tropical southern Asia, the Philippines, New Guinea and parts of Australia, and is commonly known as sea bean or burny 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.
Pullenia is a monotypic genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Fabaceae. It only has one known, species Pullenia gunnii(Benth. ex Hook.f.) H.Ohashi & K.Ohashi
Symphyotrichum potosinum is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to Mexico and the U.S. state of Arizona. Commonly known as Santa Rita Mountain aster, it is a perennial, herbaceous plant that may reach heights of 15 to 45 centimeters.
Martinella is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Bignoniaceae. It is a genus of Neotropical lianas within the tribe Bignonieae.
Media related to Mucuna urens at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Mucuna urens at Wikispecies