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Vigna marina

(Burm.) Merr. (1917)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Rosids Order: Fabales Family: Fabaceae Genus: Vigna

‘ōkolemakili, ‘ōkoleomakili, beach pea, lemuomakili, mohihihi, nanea, nenea, pūhili [puhili], pūhilihili [pulihilihi], pūlihilihi, wahine ‘ōma‘o [wahine omao]

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Somewhat succulent creeping or climbing perennial herbs up to several m long, becoming woody toward base, sparsely to densely pubescent.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves compound (pinnately trifoliolate or occasionally unifoliolate). Alternate. Leaflets 3.5–10.5 cm long, 2.5–8.8 cm wide. Leaflets rhombic–elliptic to broadly rhombic–ovate or obovate. Apex rounded to emarginate. Surfaces sparsely appressed pilose, soon glabrate. Leaflet margins entire. Petiolate. Stipules peltate, stipules truncate.

Flowers: Flowers slightly waxy, in racemes 6.3–14 cm long, peduncles 4.3–10.5 cm long. Flowers papilionaceous, bracteoles present; pedicels 4.5–6 mm long. Calyx green, tinged reddish, upper 2 lobes completely connate, forming an entire upper lip 1.8–2 mm long, lateral lobes deltate, ca. 1.5 mm long, lowest tooth deltate, ca. 2 mm long, glabrous. Calyx bilabiate, 5-lobed, lower lip 3 lobed. Corolla green in bud, bright yellow at anthesis, 12–19 mm long, standard very broadly obcordate, reflexed, keel not beaked, incurved ca. 1/2 turn or less. Stamens 10; upper stamen distinct, the other 9 connate into a tube. Ovary superior; styles bearded below the stigma along the inner edge; stigma lateral.

Fruit: Pods linear–oblong; inflated; slightly curved; 35–60 mm long; 8–9 mm wide; glabrous; slightly constricted between the seeds. Seeds 2–10; yellowish brown to reddish brown; reniform or broadly ellipsoid; 6–7 mm long; 4.5–6 mm wide; slightly compressed; hilum oblong; rim–aril scarcely developed.

Ploidy: 2n = 22

Habitat: Occurring at the vegetation line on sandy beaches; rarely found somewhat inland on sea cliffs and dry shrubby slopes.

Elevation Range: 0–120 m.

Historical Distribution

Images

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Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Indigenous

Island Status

Mokupāpapa (Kure atoll) Only found in cultivation
Kaua'i Indigenous
O'ahu Indigenous
Molokai Indigenous
Lana'i Only found in cultivation
Maui Indigenous
Hawai'i Indigenous

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Notes

  • 0-120 m on Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokai, Maui, and Hawaiʻi
  • Description digitized by Ikaika Mendez
  • Description digitized from the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii

Bibliography

Name Published In: Interpr. Herb. Amboin.: 285 (1917)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:720 (K, O, Mo, M, H); Staples et al. 2003:12/Imada & Kennedy 2020:77 (KEY); Staples & Herbst 2005:330 (DESCR); Naomi Worcester pers. comm. 2025 (Ku?, recently introduced for restoration and now established, but no spm.)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
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