''Aeschynomene indica'' is a species of flowering plant in the
. Common names include Indian jointvetch, kat sola,
[''Aeschynomene indica''.]
USDA PLANTS. budda pea, curly indigo, hard sola, northern jointvetch,
[Cook, B. G., et al]
Tropical Forages. CSIRO, DPI&F (Qld), CIAT and ILRI, Brisbane, Australia. ''indische Schampflanze'' (
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
), ''angiquinho'', ''maricazinho'', ''papquinha'', ''pinheirinho'' (
Brazilian Portuguese),
''he meng'' (
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
), ''kusanemu'' (
Japanese), ''diya siyambala'' (
Sinhala), and ''ikin sihk'' (
Pohnpeian
Pohnpeian is a Micronesian language spoken as the indigenous language of the island of Pohnpei in the Caroline Islands. Pohnpeian has approximately 30,000 (estimated) native speakers living in Pohnpei and its outlying atolls and islands with a ...
).
[''Aeschynomene indica''.]
Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER). USFS.
The true native range of this species is unclear because it is thought to have been
introduced so widely, but it probably includes parts of Africa, Asia, Australia, and the southeastern North America. It is likely a
naturalized
Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...
species on many islands of the
Pacific, the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
, and the
Indian Ocean, including
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
, the
Society Islands,
Micronesia,
Puerto Rico,
Mauritius, and
Réunion
Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island ...
.
[ It is also introduced in South America.][
]
Description
This species is variable. It is an annual or perennial herb or subshrub growing 30 centimeters to 2.5 meters tall. The stem is usually thin, about half a centimeter wide, but it can grow thick at the base, up to 2.5 centimeters wide. It is spongy or corky, or sometimes hollow and cylindric. It is mostly hairless but sometimes has glandular hairs with tubercular bases. The leaves are up to 10 centimeters long. Each leaf is made up of many narrow, papery leaflets each up to 1.3 centimeters long. Some leaves are sensitive. The spurred stipule is up to 1.5 centimeters long. The inflorescence is made up of 1 to 6 flowers with reddish- or purple-streaked yellow or whitish corollas. The long, narrow legume
A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock f ...
pod is up to 4.8 centimeters long and is straight or curved, with up to 13 chambers. It contains black or brown kidney-shaped seeds each 2 or 3 millimeters long.[Le Houérou, H., et al]
''Aeschynomene indica'' L.
Grassland Species Profies. FAO.
Habitat
The plant often grows in wet, muddy habitat, such as floodplains, swamp
A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
s, and paddy field
A paddy field is a flooded field (agriculture), field of arable land used for growing Aquatic plant, semiaquatic crops, most notably rice and taro. It originates from the Neolithic rice-farming cultures of the Yangtze River basin in sout ...
s. It is also known from dry land. It has been observed in association with ''Sesbania
''Sesbania'' is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, and the only genus found in tribe Sesbanieae. Riverhemp is a common name for plants in this genus. Notable species include the rattlebox ('' Sesbania punicea''), spiny sesb ...
'' spp. and '' Acacia nilotica'' ssp. '' tomentosa''.[ It grows in disturbed habitat, such as roadside ditches, often becoming weedy.][
]
Biology
The plant, like others of its genus, sometimes develops nodes similar to the root nodule
Root nodules are found on the roots of plants, primarily legumes, that form a symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Under nitrogen-limiting conditions, capable plants form a symbiotic relationship with a host-specific strain of bacteria known a ...
s of many other legumes, but the nodes grow on the stem in addition to the roots. They contain ''Bradyrhizobium
''Bradyrhizobium'' is a genus of Gram-negative soil bacteria, many of which fix nitrogen. Nitrogen fixation is an important part of the nitrogen cycle. Plants cannot use atmospheric nitrogen (N2); they must use nitrogen compounds such as nitrat ...
'' species, nitrogen-fixing bacteria that can perform photosynthesis.[Bonaldi, K., et al. (2011)]
Nodulation of ''Aeschynomene afraspera'' and ''A. indica'' by photosynthetic ''Bradyrhizobium'' sp. Strain ORS285: The Nod-dependent versus the Nod-independent symbiotic interaction.
''Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions'' 24(11) 1359-71. The symbiotic bacterium '' Blastobacter denitroficans'' also inhabits the nodes.[van Berkum, P. and B. D. Eardly. (2002)]
The aquatic budding bacterium ''Blastobacter denitrificans'' is a nitrogen-fixing symbiont of ''Aeschynomene indica''.
''Applied and Environmental Microbiology'' 68(3) 1132-36.
This species is susceptible to the plant disease anthracnose
A plant canker is a small area of dead tissue, which grows slowly, often over years. Some cankers are of only minor consequence, but others are ultimately lethal and therefore can have major economic implications for agriculture and horticultur ...
caused by the fungus '' Colletotrichum gloeosporioides''.[
]
Uses
This plant is used as green manure
In agriculture, a green manure is a crop specifically produced to be incorporated into the soil while still green. Typically, the green manure's biomass is incorporated with a plow or disk, as is often done with (brown) manure. The primary goal ...
. It is not very palatable to animals but it is sometimes given as fodder
Fodder (), also called provender (), is any agriculture, agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock, such as cattle, domestic rabbit, rabbits, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. "Fodder" refers particularly to food g ...
. It can be toxic, however.[ The seeds can poison pigs, causing loss of coordination, falls, and death. Examination of the brain tissue of affected animals revealed swelling and hemorrhage.][Oliveira, F. N., et al. (2004)]
Focal symmetrical encephalomalacia in swine from ingestion of ''Aeschynomene indica'' seeds.
''Vet Hum Toxicol.'' 46(6) 309-11. The toxic compounds in the seeds are rotenoids related to the poison rotenone.[Latorre, A. O., et al. (2011)]
First report on rotenoids as neurotoxic principles of seeds from ''Aeschynomene indica'' (Leguminosae).
''Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances'' 10(3) 291-94.
The pithy stems are used for floating devices, such as rafts and floats for fishing nets. The plant is also used as a spermicide. Its charcoal
Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, cal ...
is made into gunpowder.[
The yellow flowers are eaten by people in Cambodia, who call the herb ''snaô ach' moën'' (''snaô''="edible flowers", ''ach' moën''="chicken poo", Khmer language).]
References
External links
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5782393
indica
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus