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Mucuna sloanei

Fawc. & Rendle (1917)

This name is accepted

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

cow-itch plant, sea bean

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Large lianas.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves compound. Alternate. Leaflets ovate, 6–12 cm long, 4–8 cm wide. Surfaces covered with irritating yellowish brown hairs; lower surfaces silky strigose. Leaflet margins entire. Petiolate. Stipules caducous. Leaflets stipellate.

Flowers: Flowers pseudoracemes elongate, pendulous, the flowers scattered along upper part of rachis. Flowers papilionaceous. Calyx lobes deltate, campanulate, bilabiate, the upper ones 6–7 mm long, the lowest one 11–13 mm long. Corolla bright yellow tinged red, 4–6 cm long, showy, variously colored, standard shorter than other petals, wings incurved, stiffened at apex, keel straight to slightly curved upward. Stamens 10; upper stamen distinct, the other 9 connate into a tube; anthers, dimorphic, 5 larger ones subbasifixed, alternating with 5 shorter anthers. Ovary superior; style 1, apical; ovules few; style filiform, glabrous apically; stigma small, terminal.

Fruit: Pods flat; ca; 10 cm long; 4–5 cm wide; with several transverse lamellae; the surface covered with irritating yellowish brown hairs; especially persistent near the lamellae. Seeds few; dark brown; subglobose; ca. 2.5 cm in diameter; hilum extending ca. ¼ of the circumference.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Sprawling over vegetation.

Elevation Range: Low elevations at least on O‘ahu, Maui, and Hawai‘i, but known to be definitely persisting only around Ulalena Hill, 500–700 m, East Maui.

Historical Distribution

Images

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Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Indigenous

Island Status

Kuaihelani (Midway Atoll) Indigenous
Kaua'i Indigenous
O'ahu Indigenous
Maui Indigenous
Hawai'i Indigenous

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Bibliography

Name Published In: J. Bot. 55: 36 (1917)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:689 (O, M, H [as M. urens]); Wilmot-Dear 1990:25/Wagner & Herbst 1995:20 (K, O, EM, WM, H, M. urens misapplied = M. sloanei var. sloanei, KEY, DESCR, status change from nat to ind as species is widespread in Pacific); Moura et al. 2012:840 (KEY, Syn. M. s. var. sloanei = M. sloanei)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Mucuna sloanei east Maui, Makawao District, Kauhikoa Gulch. in alien forest of Spathodea, Psidium, Falcataria. Preserved_Specimen Vines, climbing trees. Pods with transverse ridges and irritating hairs. Occasional in this area. Oppenheimer, H.L. 21502 Maui BISH 2015-02-12
2 Mucuna sloanei East Maui, Hana District, E side of Keaaiki Gulch. Climbing secondary vegetation of Psidium, Ardisia, and Hibiscus, in degraded remnant of Pandanus-Acacia-Metrosideros Lowland Forest. Preserved_Specimen Lvs chartaceous, mostly purple-tinted on abaxial surface. Oppenheimer, H.L. 21314 Maui BISH 2013-02-27
3 Mucuna sloanei Southwest of Hana Climbing on trees at low altitudes. Preserved_Specimen Degener, O. 2284 Maui BISH 1927-06-12
4 Mucuna sloanei Koolau Mts, Waimano loop trail. Mesic gulch bottom starting in full shade and reaching full sun as it gets into the canopy. Associates; Megathyrsus maximus, Leucaena leucocephala, Oplismenus hirtellus, Pinanga sp., Hibiscus tiliaceous, Mangifera indica, Ipomoea sp., Uncaria tomentosa. Preserved_Specimen Mostly confined to a Syzygium cuminii stretching 4 m into canopy. Leaves chartecous with satin feel in underside. Pods observed in canopy with spiny transverse ridges but could not be located on ground and lower branches. K. Arthur 196 Oahu BISH 2025-10-30
5 Mucuna sloanei unknown Preserved_Specimen Caum, E.L. BISH 1937-04-06
6 Mucuna sloanei Waihee, Koolau Mts, Koolaupoko Distr. Preserved_Specimen Stout vine climbing 6 m into neighboring vegetation. Lateral leaflets unequal-sided, 13-15 cm long. Peduncles drooping, 8-17 cm long. Corolla yellow-green, thick, keel 6-7 cm long. Calyx puberulous and with scattered long irritating hairs. Infl. about 10-12 flowered. Nagata, K.M. 2484 Oahu BISH 1982-06-27
7 Mucuna sloanei Waihee, Koolau Mts, Koolaupoko Distr. Preserved_Specimen Stout vine climbing 6 m into neighbotring vegetation. Lateral leaflets unequal-sided, 13-15 cm long. Peduncles drooping, 8-17 cm long. Corolla yellow-green, thick, keel 6-7 cm long. Calyx puberulous and with scattered long irritating hairs. Infl. about 10-12 flowered. Nagata, K.M. 2484 Oahu BISH 1982-06-27
8 Mucuna sloanei W Maui, Lahaina District, Kahana Preserved_Specimen Vines with bright yellow flowers. Oppenheimer, H.L. 110505 Maui BISH 2005-11-13
9 Mucuna sloanei Kona, Keauhou Preserved_Specimen Judd, A.F. Hawaii BISH 1937-11-12
10 Mucuna sloanei unknown Preserved_Specimen red sea bean (Not on sheet) BISH
11 Mucuna sloanei Kona, Keauhou Preserved_Specimen Judd, A.F. Hawaii BISH 1937-11-12
12 Mucuna sloanei Kona, Keauhou Preserved_Specimen Judd, A.F. Hawaii BISH 1937-11-12
13 Mucuna sloanei unknown Preserved_Specimen Caum, E.L. BISH 1937-04-06
14 Mucuna sloanei Honolulu, Makiki Valley Preserved_Specimen Kerr, M. Oahu BISH 1948-12-05
15 Mucuna sloanei Woodlawn, Manoa Preserved_Specimen Williams, F.L. Oahu BISH 1930-11-24
16 Mucuna sloanei W. Maui. Lahainaluna School, in back of, in Kuia area. on dry hillside, on fence. Preserved_Specimen Pearsall, G.A. 27 Maui BISH 1956-12-18
17 Mucuna sloanei Hana District. Nahiku, Walter Patelo property, road from highway to coast just East of George Harrison property. Non-native vegetation. With Hibiscus tillaceus, Mangifera indica, Cordyline fruticosa, Ardisia elliptica, Spathodea campanulata, Aleuites moluccana, Psidium guajava, Miconia calvescens Preserved_Specimen Vines with fruit. Perlman, S. 23299 Maui BISH 2013-02-27
18 Mucuna sloanei E. Maui, S.E. slope of Haleakala, Wailua Valley. in jungle along stream. Preserved_Specimen Degener, O. 19325 Maui BISH 1948-12-29
19 Mucuna sloanei East Maui, Hana District, E side of Keaaiki Gulch. Climbing secondary vegetation of Psidium, Ardisia, and Hibiscus, in degraded remnant of Pandanus-Acacia-Metrosideros Lowland Forest. Preserved_Specimen Lvs chartaceous, mostly purple-tinted on abaxial surface. Oppenheimer, H.L. 21314 Maui BISH 2013-02-27
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