- Family:
- Fabaceae Lindl.
Centrosema (DC.) Benth.

[FTEA]
Leguminosae, J. B. Gillett, R. M. Polhill & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1971
- Morphology General Habit
- Herbs or subshrubs, climbing or prostrate
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves pinnately (1–)3(–7)-foliolate, rarely digitately 3–5-foliolate; stipules not spurred, persistent; stipels present
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
- Inflorescences axillary, falsely racemose, (1–)few-many-flowered; rhachis often thickened at the insertion of the pedicels; bracts paired, mostly persistent, striate, those towards the apex of the inflorescence united; bracteoles adpressed to the calyx, striate
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Calyx 5-lobed, the upper pair of lobes united to form an emarginate or bifid lip
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Standard rounded, spurred or rarely with a tubercle on the back above the claw
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
- Vexillary stamen free or ± joined with the others; anthers uniform
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
- Ovary linear, many-ovuled; style bent, compressed towards the summit, spathulate, pubescent or bearded at the apex, stigma terminal
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Pods linear, compressed, with 4 raised nerves or wings, filled between the seeds
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seeds oblong or globose, compressed; hilum linear, oblong or narrowly elliptic; aril small or absent.
[LOWO]
Legumes of the World. Edited by G. Lewis, B. Schrire, B. MacKinder & M. Lock. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. (2005)
- Habit
- Herbs or subshrubs
- Ecology
- Tropical and subtropical bushland formations derived from seasonal forest, woodland, wooded grassland and shrubland, also forest margins
- Distribution
- S America (most spp. in Brazil), C America, Caribbean, Mexico and SE USA; 3 spp. widely introduced in the Old World
- Note
-
Placed in subtribe Clitoriinae (see comments under Clitoria)
Previous accounts of the Phaseoleae by Baudet (1978) and Lackey (1981) recognised 90 and 84 genera and c. 1540 and 1480 species respectively in the tribe. In an equivalent, i.e. traditionally held view of Phaseoleae, 89 genera and (1554)–1567–(1580) species are treated here (Table 9; Fig. 47). Changes between Baudet (1978) and this treatment are that eleven genera are now in synonymy or have subsequently been placed in Millettieae, two genera have been transferred from Desmodieae and eight new genera have been added. Vigna has traditionally been thought to comprise some 150–200 species, but Vigna sens. strict. may contain fewer than 100.
Recent molecular analyses of the tribe, however, have emphasised both the polyphyletic and paraphyletic nature of Phaseoleae as traditionally circumscribed (Bruneau & Doyle, 1990; Doyle & Doyle, 1993; Delgado Salinas et al., 1993; Bruneau et al., 1995; Doyle et al., 1997, 2000; Kajita et al., 2001; Goel et al., 2001; Lee & Hymowitz, 2001). This has required a radical realignment of elements of the phaseoloids (Table 9; Fig. 47), with at least two major clades being evident: Phaseoleae subtribes Diocleinae and Ophrestiinae which together with tribe Abreae are allied to the core-Millettieae (Fig. 45), and the remaining groups comprising a Phaseoleae sens. lat. clade. The rbcL phylogeny of Kajita et al. (2001) and the ITS analysis of Hu et al. (2002) are equivocal as to which clade subtribe Clitoriinae belongs. Phaseoleae sens. lat. also includes two traditionally independent tribes, the Desmodieae and Psoraleeae. Delimiting a recircumscribed Phaseoleae sens. strict is thus very problematic. A solution may be to recognise a broad tribe Phaseoleae, comprising the subtribes Kennediinae, Cajaninae, Phaseolinae and Glycininae, assorted basally branching genera, and tribes Desmodieae and Psoraleeae (both treated at subtribal level).
[FZ]
Leguminosae, B. Mackinder, R. Pasquet, R. Polhill & B. Verdcourt. Flora Zambesiaca 3:5. 2001
- Morphology General Habit
- Climbing herbs or subshrubs.
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves pinnately 3-foliolate in the Flora Zambesiaca area, elsewhere (1)3(7)-foliolate; stipules small, striate; stipels present.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
- Inflorescences (1)few–many-flowered, falsely racemose; bracts paired, striate; bracteoles appressed to the calyx, striate.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Calyx 5-lobed, the upper pair largely joined into a bifid lip.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Corolla showy; standard broad, with a conspicuous spur on the back above the claw, often pubescent outside.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
- Vexillary filament free or joined to the others at the base.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
- Ovary linear, many-ovuled; style curved, flattened and slightly widened towards the terminal stigma, pubescent or bearded at the apex.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Pod linear, with 4 raised nerves or wings, dehiscent.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seeds variously coloured, oblong or ellipsoid, with an elliptic to linear hilum.
[LOWO]
- Use
- Important forage and pasture crops with a broad range of tolerance of extreme conditions; also used as cover crops and green manure
Native to:
Alabama, Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Arkansas, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Cayman Is., Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Delaware, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Florida, French Guiana, Georgia, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Kentucky, Leeward Is., Louisiana, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Mississippi, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Panamá, Paraguay, Pennsylvania, Peru, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Southwest Caribbean, Suriname, Tennessee, Texas, Trinidad-Tobago, Turks-Caicos Is., Uruguay, Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Virginia, Windward Is.
Introduced into:
Angola, Assam, Bangladesh, Benin, Bismarck Archipelago, Borneo, Burkina, Cambodia, Cameroon, Caroline Is., Central African Repu, China South-Central, China Southeast, Christmas I., Comoros, Congo, Cook Is., Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gulf of Guinea Is., Hainan, India, Ivory Coast, Jawa, Kazan-retto, Kenya, Liberia, Malaya, Marianas, Marquesas, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Guinea, Nicobar Is., Nigeria, Niue, Northern Territory, Philippines, Pitcairn Is., Queensland, Réunion, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Society Is., Solomon Is., Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Western Australia, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe
- Centrosema acutifolium Benth.
- Centrosema angustifolium (Kunth) Benth.
- Centrosema arenarium Benth.
- Centrosema arenicola (Small) F.J.Herm.
- Centrosema bellum Vilchez
- Centrosema bifidum Benth.
- Centrosema brachypodum Benth.
- Centrosema bracteosum Benth.
- Centrosema brasilianum (L.) Benth.
- Centrosema capitatum (Rich.) Amshoff
- Centrosema carajasense Cavalc.
- Centrosema coriaceum Benth.
- Centrosema dasyanthum Benth.
- Centrosema fasciculatum Benth.
- Centrosema grandiflorum Benth.
- Centrosema grazielae V.P.Barbosa
- Centrosema haitense Urb. & Ekman
- Centrosema heptaphyllum Moric.
- Centrosema heteroneurum (Standl.) Standl.
- Centrosema jaraguaense Hoehne
- Centrosema kermesi Burkart
- Centrosema latidens Killip & J.F.Macbr.
- Centrosema lucia-helenae Brandão & Gavil.
- Centrosema macranthum Hoehne
- Centrosema macrocarpum Benth.
- Centrosema molle Mart. ex Benth.
- Centrosema pascuorum Mart. ex Benth.
- Centrosema platycarpum Benth.
- Centrosema plumieri (Turpin ex Pers.) Benth.
- Centrosema pubescens Benth.
- Centrosema rotundifolium Mart. ex Benth.
- Centrosema sagittatum (Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.) Brandegee
- Centrosema schottii (Millsp.) K.Schum.
- Centrosema sericiflorum K.L.Barreto & L.P.Queiroz
- Centrosema tapirapoanense Hoehne
- Centrosema teresae Brandão & Sousa Costa
- Centrosema tetragonolobum R.Schultze-Kraft & R.J.Williams
- Centrosema triquetrum (Hoffmanns. ex Benth.) Benth.
- Centrosema unifoliatum (Rose) Lundell
- Centrosema variifolium Burkart
- Centrosema venosum Mart. ex Benth.
- Centrosema vetulum Mart. ex Benth.
- Centrosema vexillatum Benth.
- Centrosema virginianum (L.) Benth.
Centrosema (DC.) Benth. appears in other Kew resources:
Date | Reference | Identified As | Barcode | Type Status | Has image? |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mar 22, 2006 | Ribas, O.S. [3038], Brazil | K000920984 | Yes | ||
Sep 20, 1991 | Hatschbach, G.G. [52947], Brazil | K000920958 | Yes | ||
Oct 20, 1989 | Isejima, E.M. [CFCR5437], Brazil | K000920981 | Yes | ||
Oct 20, 1989 | Cavalcanti, T.B. [44665], Brazil | K000920980 | Yes | ||
Jan 1, 1978 | Glaziou [15914], Brazil | K000920962 | Yes | ||
Hatschbach, G.G. [70437], Brazil | K000920945 | Yes | |||
Sazima, M. [s.n.], Brazil | K000920949 | Yes | |||
Heringer, E.P. [4155], Brazil | K000920950 | Yes | |||
Calderon, C.E. [2721], Brazil | K000920951 | Yes | |||
Delprete, P.G. [9591], Brazil | K000920955 | Yes | |||
Prance, G.T. [16782], Brazil | K000920972 | Yes | |||
Brooks, R.R. [480], Brazil | K000920976 | Yes | |||
Burchell [9527], Brazil | K000920968 | Yes | |||
Hatschbach, G.G. [41358], Brazil | K000920969 | Yes | |||
Philcox, D. [3903], Brazil | K000920964 | Yes | |||
Burchell [7386], Brazil | K000920961 | Yes | |||
Heringer, E.P. [4058], Brazil | K000920956 | Yes | |||
Heringer, E.P. [4866], Brazil | K000920946 | Yes | |||
Burchell [6997], Brazil | K000920967 | Yes | |||
Thomas, W.W. [4556], Brazil | K000920973 | Yes | |||
Tibiriçá, Y.J.A. [107], Brazil | K000920953 | Yes | |||
Brooks, R.R. [442], Brazil | K000920977 | Yes | |||
Salles, A.E.H. [100], Brazil | K000920957 | Yes | |||
Heringer, E.P. [4929], Brazil | K000920979 | Yes | |||
Silva, R.M. [CFCR9758], Brazil | K000920959 | Yes | |||
Hatschbach, G.G. [62277], Brazil | K000920965 | Yes | |||
Coradin, L. [8475], Brazil | K000920982 | Yes | |||
Guedes, M.L. [PCD1965], Brazil | K000920966 | Yes | |||
Brooks, R.R. [TMEX487], Brazil | K000920978 | Yes | |||
Pirani, J.R. [1590], Brazil | K000920971 | Yes | |||
Hatschbach, G.G. [34716], Brazil | K000920948 | Yes | |||
Coradin, L. [8476], Brazil | K000920983 | Yes | |||
Heringer, E.P. [6714], Brazil | K000920947 | Yes | |||
Lewis, G.P. [CFCR6685], Brazil | K000920952 | Yes | |||
Heringer, E.P. [1449], Brazil | K000920963 | Yes | |||
Saavedra, M.M. [690], Brazil | K000920954 | Yes | |||
Gibbs, P. [2464], Brazil | K000920960 | Yes | |||
Monteiro, R.F. [292], Brazil | K000920975 | Yes | |||
Leoni, L.S. [583], Brazil | K000920974 | Yes | |||
Zarucchi, J.L. [2832], Brazil | K000920970 | Yes |
First published in Ann. Wiener Mus. Naturgesch. 2: 117 (1838)
Accepted by
- Govaerts, R. (1999). World Checklist of Seed Plants 3(1, 2a & 2b): 1-1532. MIM, Deurne.
Literature
Flora of West Tropical Africa
- —F.T.A. 2: 176.
Flora Zambesiaca
- Comm. Leg. Gen.: 53 (1837) nom. conserv.
Flora of Tropical East Africa
- Comm. Leg. Gen.: 53 (1837), nom. conserv .
-
Colombian resources for Plants made Accessible
ColPlantA 2021. Published on the Internet at http://colplanta.org
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
-
Flora Zambesiaca
Flora Zambesiaca
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
-
Flora of Tropical East Africa
Flora of Tropical East Africa
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
-
Herbarium Catalogue Specimens
Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
-
Kew Backbone Distributions
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
-
Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
-
Kew Science Photographs
Copyright applied to individual images
-
Legumes of the World Online
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0