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Macroptilium atropurpureum

(DC.) Urb. (1928)

This name is accepted

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

siratro, twining cow pea, vining cow pea

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Trailing perennial herbs.

Stems: Stems rooting at the nodes, densely pilose.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves compound. Alternate. Leaflets ovate to rhombic, 1.5–7 cm long, 1.3–5 cm wide; usually laterally lobed, the lateral leaflets oblique with a single lobe on outer side. Upper surfaces pubescent; lower surfaces densely velvety white sericeous. Margins entire os shallowly lobed. Petioles 0.5–5 cm long. Stipules ovate, 4–5 mm long, strongly veined. Stipellate, stipules strongly nerved.

Flowers: Flowers 1.5–2.5 cm long, in pseudoracemes 1–8 cm long; bracts caducous. Flowers papilionaceous. Calyx lobes 5. Corolla red, purple to nearly black, wings longer than standard and keel, both wing and keel claws long, the keel twisted. Stamens 10; upper stamen distinct, the other 9 connate into a tube. Ovary superior; style 1, apical, bent near base and also with a thickened apical part abruptly bent 90º forming a squarish hook, bearded on the apical thickened part, primarily on upper (adaxial) side; stigma capitate.

Fruit: Pods linear; 7–8 cm long; ca. 4.5 mm wide; appressed pilose; apex beaked; dehiscent; valves rather thin; spirally twisted. Seeds 12–15; marbled brown and black; oblong–ellipsoid; ca. 4 mm long; pitted.

Ploidy: 2n = 14; 22

Habitat: Along roadsides and in other disturbed areas.

Elevation Range: 0–450 m.

Historical Distribution

Images

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Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Kaua'i Naturalized
O'ahu Naturalized
Molokai Naturalized
Lana'i Naturalized
Kaho'olawe Naturalized
Maui Naturalized
Hawai'i Naturalized

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Notes

  • Description digitized by Tiffany Flood
  • Description digitized from the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii
  • First collected on O'ahu in 1975 (IIerbst & Shearard 534& BISH).

Bibliography

Name Published In: Symb. Antill. 9: 457 (1928)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:682 (O, M, H); Oppenheimer 2003:13 (Mo); Lorence & Flynn 2006:3 (K); Oppenheimer 2008:28 (L); Starr & Starr 2011:27 (Ka)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Macroptilium atropurpureum Waimanalo, Waikupanaha St Preserved_Specimen Vine with gray-green foliage; purple black flowers Herbst, D.R. 5348 Oahu BISH 1975-06-12
2 Macroptilium atropurpureum Kahulu, Paukukalo, and Waiehu Preserved_Specimen Twining climber covering fences and low vegetation. Corollas purplish-black, twisted. Hobdy, R.W. 2568 Maui BISH 1986-06-18
3 Macroptilium atropurpureum USDA Plant Materials Center, dryland grass and legume trial, field 7B, row 3, plot 11 Preserved_Specimen Sprawling, healthy, twinning vine, 2; stems green, pubscent. Leaves medium forest green above, thick; finely silky pubescent below. Flowers black w/red to purple throat, showy, pealike, in open distal clusters. Evans, M. 116 Molokai BISH 1990-07-13
4 Macroptilium atropurpureum USDA Plant Materials Center; dryland grass and legume trial, field 7B; row 3; plot 11; HA-4479; source: NPMC Preserved_Specimen Sprawling healthy twining vine 2' tall; stems green, pubescent; lvs medium forest green above, thick, finely silky, pubescent below; flws black w/red to purple throat, showy, pealike, in open distal clusters. Evans, M. 116 Molokai BISH 1990-07-13
5 Macroptilium atropurpureum Paukukalo Hawaiian Home settlement near ball field sandy soil, weedy wasteland Preserved_Specimen Short spreading branches diverging from a stemless root at ground level Hobdy, R.W. 1674 Maui BISH 1982-09-05
6 Macroptilium atropurpureum Pearl City Peninsula, adjacent to Waiawa Stream and car junkyard Wasteland of mostly herbaceous weeds like Leonotis, Ricinus, Leucaena, Commelina, Bidens, Chloris, Waltheria, scattered Samanea and Pithecellobium trees. Preserved_Specimen Vine with silky-hairy leaflet undersurfaces. Imada, C. 20034 Oahu BISH 2003-03-18
7 Macroptilium atropurpureum About a mile outside town on Kaumalapau Hwy. Growing along roadside and on bank. Preserved_Specimen Naturalized, sprawling vine with maroon flowers. Oppenheimer, H.L. 110704 Lanai BISH 2007-11-01
8 Macroptilium atropurpureum W Maui, Napili Honokowai, 0.64km N of Office Rd, on Rt 30. Roadside Roadside Preserved_Specimen Vine; flowes dark purple Annable, C.R. 3877 Maui BISH 1999-01-13
9 Macroptilium atropurpureum Makawao, near Kahului Airport, toward Kanaha Beach Park disturbed grasslands Preserved_Specimen Stems prostrate, the flowering stems ascending; corolla dark maroon, becoming burgandy toward the base Wagner, W.L. 5784 Maui BISH 1988-03-03
10 Macroptilium atropurpureum Kaunakakai Climbing Scaevola. Preserved_Specimen Oppenheimer, H.L. 70110 Molokai BISH 2001-07-14
11 Macroptilium atropurpureum Ninole Bay dirt roadside; weed patch of Hyptis and exotic grasses Preserved_Specimen climbing vine; red-black flowers Stemmermann, R.L. 7064 Hawaii BISH 1986-02-02
12 Macroptilium atropurpureum Koolauloa near Kahuku, Hills above Punamano roadway through Leucaena thickets. Preserved_Specimen vine with dark red flowers Nagata, K.M. 3945 Oahu BISH 1988-12-27
13 Macroptilium atropurpureum Kaena Point. Along trail from the Mokuleia side. Along coast, not too far from parking area. With Urochloa maxima, Ruellia brittoniana, Leucena leucocephala. Preserved_Specimen Vine, flowers dark maroon. Kennedy, B. 81 Oahu BISH 2018-12-02
14 Macroptilium atropurpureum LZ-1, side of K-1 Rd. Nicotiana glauca, Cenchrus ciliaris, Erythrina sandwicensis Preserved_Specimen Starr, F. 8020801 Kahoolawe BISH 2008-02-08
15 Macroptilium atropurpureum Ninole Bay dirt roadside; weed patch of Hyptis and exotic grasses Preserved_Specimen vine; red-black flowers Stemmermann, R.L. 7064 Hawaii BISH 1986-02-02
16 Macroptilium atropurpureum Makawao, SW coast, Hankanaea, Navy base Lowland dry forest; Prosopis, Cenchrus, Jacquemontia ovalifolia, Tragus berteronianus, Boehavia repens, Macroptilium lathyroides, Sida fallax, Portulaca oleracea, Chenopodium murale, Atriplex semibaccata, Ipomoea cairica, I. tuboides, Chamaesyce hirta, Abutilon incanum, Heteropogon contortus, Bothriochloa pertusa, Waltheria indica, Gossypium tomentosum, Dichanthium aristatum, Setaria verticillata, Chloris virgata Preserved_Specimen Corolla dark purple Wood, K.R. 1741 Kahoolawe BISH 1992-03-19
17 Macroptilium atropurpureum About a mile outside town on Kaumalapau Hwy. Growing along roadside and on bank. Preserved_Specimen Naturalized, sprawling vine with maroon flowers. Oppenheimer, H.L. 110704 Lanai BISH 2007-11-01
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