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Biancaea decapetala

(Roth) O.Deg. (1936)

This name is accepted

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

cat's claw, mysore thorn, pua kelekino, puakelekino, wait a bit, wait-a-bit

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Climbers or shrubs.

Stems: With sprawling branches, forming large impenetrable thickets, with recurved prickles on young branches and leaf rachises.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves compound. Alternate. Leaves with 3–15 pairs of pinnae; leaflets 5–12 pairs per pinna, oblong–elliptic, 1–2.2 cm long, 0.4–1.1 cm wide. Apex rounded. Margins entire. Petiolate. Stipules deciduous, obliquely ovate, 8–20 mm long.

Flowers: Flowers in axillary and/or terminal racemes, when axillary often serial. Flowers caesalpinaceous, bisexual (perfect), 25–30 mm in diameter. bracts caducous, bracteoles absent. Calyx tube short, 5-lobed, hood-like. Corolla of 5 petals; petals yellow, upper one veined or blotched with red, 12–15 mm long. Stamens 10, distinct, alternately longer and shorter. Ovary superior.

Fruit: Pods dehiscent; flattened; slightly swollen; 6.5–11 cm long; 2–3 cm wide; smooth. Seeds 4–9; black; ellipsoid; laterally flattened; 8–12 mm long; 6–8 mm wide; transversely arranged.

Ploidy: 2n = 22; 24

Habitat: Along roadsides; near abandoned house sites; and other disturbed areas.

Elevation Range: 0–250 m.

Historical Distribution

Images

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Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Ni'ihau(Incl. Lehua) Naturalized
Kaua'i Naturalized
O'ahu Naturalized
Molokai Naturalized
Lana'i Naturalized
Maui Naturalized
Hawai'i Naturalized

Dispersal Agents

Water/Ocean

Pollinators

Notes

  • 0-250 m
  • Description digitized by Ellena Ruiz
  • Description digitized from the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii
  • First collected on O'ahu in 1910

Bibliography

Name Published In: Fl. Hawaiiensis: K7 (1936)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:647 (Ni, K, O, EM, H [as Caesalpinia decapetala]); Starr et al. 2006:35 (L); Gagnon et al. 2016:71 (Syn. C. decapetala = B. decapetala); Faccenda, Arthur, et al. 2025:180 (Mo, remove Ni [no evidence of nat.])

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Biancaea decapetala Hilo over cactus Preserved_Specimen Degener, O. 7223 Hawaii BISH 1930-05-07
2 Biancaea decapetala Ahualoa In pasture. Preserved_Specimen Sprawling shrub, rare. Height 10', spread 20', excellent vigor, fruit present only. Clarke, G. 687 Hawaii BISH 1982-04-04
3 Biancaea decapetala Kualoa by road Preserved_Specimen Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1929-11-24
4 Biancaea decapetala Waiahole Along wet roadside. Preserved_Specimen Locally very common and farming impenetrable tangle. Degener, O. 7230 Oahu BISH 1928-03-17
5 Biancaea decapetala Kauaihau District: Kalihiwai Stream Valley just SW of Highway 56; Secondary vegetation with pasture in valley and slopes with Psidium, Syzygium malaccense, and Aleurites. Preserved_Specimen Shrub with armed, climbing stems reaching tree canopy. Flowers pale yellow Lorence, D.H. 5982 Kauai BISH 1988-04-23
6 Biancaea decapetala Kapano Gulch Filling gulch, several acres. Preserved_Specimen Viney, recurved thorns on stems. Pods unarmed, seeds about 8 black/brown. Starr, F. 506231 Lanai BISH 2005-06-23
7 Biancaea decapetala About 5 miles east of Kilauea, north side of island Preserved_Specimen Low tangles of woody prickly vines, erect racemes of butter-yellow flowers. Fosberg, F.R. 56699 Oahu BISH 1977-03-12
8 Biancaea decapetala Kaneohe, Koolau Mts edge of forest Preserved_Specimen scrambling shrub of 15 ft. Hosaka, E.Y. 1301 Oahu BISH 1936-01-19
9 Biancaea decapetala Napoopoo Road below Captain Cook, S.Kona Preserved_Specimen scrambling prickly woody vine; racemes erect, flowers yellow Fosberg, F.R. 41621 Hawaii BISH 1961-03-21
10 Biancaea decapetala Kailua, bridge not far from bse of Nuuanu Pali, weed near stream Preserved_Specimen Scandent Shrub, slimbing over trees. Flowers lemon yellow. Fosberg, F.R. 10760 Oahu BISH 1935-01-12
11 Biancaea decapetala Hwy. 56 across from Pooku Stables. Scrambling shrub along pasture fence line Preserved_Specimen Flowers pale yellow. Flynn, T.W. 807 Kauai BISH 1984-03-16
12 Biancaea decapetala Hwy. 56 across from Pooku Stables. Scrambling shrub along pasture fence line Preserved_Specimen Flowers pale yellow. Flynn, T.W. 807 Kauai BISH 1984-03-16
13 Biancaea decapetala Hwy. 56 across from Pooku Stables. Scrambling shrub along pasture fence line Preserved_Specimen Flowers pale yellow. Flynn, T.W. 807 Kauai BISH 1984-03-16
14 Biancaea decapetala Waikoloa Gulch Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 1443 Oahu BISH 1910-02-10
15 Biancaea decapetala Growing over trees as vine in Ahuimanu Stream bed behind 47-100 Nukupuu Place, Kaneohe Preserved_Specimen The base is about 3-4 inches in diameter Lukas, C. Oahu BISH 1985-11-13
16 Biancaea decapetala Waiahole Town Preserved_Specimen shrub, 8', flowers bright yellow Donaghho, W.R. Oahu BISH 1947-03-23
17 Biancaea decapetala Waiahole Trail Preserved_Specimen Kerr, M. 3 Oahu BISH 1945-12-30
18 Biancaea decapetala Begining of Waiahole Ditch Trail, side of road Preserved_Specimen Adventive introduced tree, locally abundant, branches very spiny; fls. yellow. Stone, B.C. 2709 Oahu BISH 1958-11-27
19 Biancaea decapetala Hanalei, along roadsides Preserved_Specimen Krauss, N.L.H. 891 Kauai BISH 1963-03-10
20 Biancaea decapetala Waipolua Gulch Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 1443 Oahu BISH 1910-02-10
21 Biancaea decapetala Wainiha Preserved_Specimen St.John, H. 10862 Kauai BISH 1930-12-30
22 Biancaea decapetala Above Waimano Home, inside gate along jeep trail Preserved_Specimen Corn, C. Oahu BISH 1978-02-10
23 Biancaea decapetala Waimano Gulch Preserved_Specimen Kerr, M. Oahu BISH 1945-07-16
24 Biancaea decapetala Makiki Valley Trail; Makiki Valley; Koolau Mts Preserved_Specimen Ziegler, M.F. Oahu BISH 1987-05-28
25 Biancaea decapetala Waiahole along Kamehameha highway; Preserved_Specimen Krauss, N.H. Oahu BISH 1933-12-02
26 Biancaea decapetala Above Waimano Home, inside gate along jeep trail Preserved_Specimen Corn, C. Oahu BISH
27 Biancaea decapetala Honolulu, 2640 Round Top Dr., hairpin turn; 0.6 km N of Aina Lani Pl Leucaena leucocephala, Kalanchoe, Harpullia; dry-mesic forest; disturbed roadside Preserved_Specimen climbing shrub to 3 m, thorny; petals pale yellow Ray, G. 62 Oahu BISH 1998-01-06
28 Biancaea decapetala Kahaluu, Koolaupoko along road Preserved_Specimen Brambling shrub climbing over neighboring vegetation. Leaflets in 5-12 pairs, puberulent. Flowers bright yellow. Pods smooth, 7-10 cm long. Nagata, K.M. 2594 Oahu BISH 1983-01-30
29 Biancaea decapetala Palolo Valley wayside Preserved_Specimen shrub Egler, F.E. 37249 Oahu BISH 1937-04-26
30 Biancaea decapetala Waiahole thicket by stream Preserved_Specimen St.John, H. 10134 Oahu BISH 1929-12-29
31 Biancaea decapetala Kalamaula dry awai near old Hawaiian house sites Preserved_Specimen Munro, G.C. 126 Molokai BISH 1927-06-23
32 Biancaea decapetala East Maui, Kakipi Gulch, 6 km E of Haiku tangled in guava bushes on steep bushy cliff. Preserved_Specimen Stiff woody vine, very prickly; racemes erect, flowers light lemon yellow. Anthers producing some pollen. Fosberg, F.R. 55449 Maui BISH 1974-04-15
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