''Crotalaria longirostrata'', the chipilín, is a
perennial 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 ...
that is native to
Mexico and
Central America.
Other common names include chepil, chepilin, chipilin and longbeak rattlebox.
Description
Chipilín
leaves
A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
are a common
leafy vegetable in the local cuisines of southern Mexico, including
Chiapas
Chiapas (; Tzotzil language, Tzotzil and Tzeltal language, Tzeltal: ''Chyapas'' ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, ...
,
Oaxaca, and
Tabasco, and Central America, especially
El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...
and
Guatemala
Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
. The leaves are high in
iron,
calcium,
magnesium, and
beta carotene. They can be boiled and served green, dried and used as an herb, or added to
tamale doughs for color and flavor.
When the
pods of the plant dry, they
dehisce (split open), spreading the
seeds over a wide area. That, combined with the fact that the plant is not eaten by animals, has given chipilín the reputation of an
invasive plant. In the continental
United States, chipilín is characterized as a noxious
weed, perhaps because other members of the genus ''Crotalaria'' are
toxic to
cattle.
The importation of chipilín seeds or plants is banned in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. Introduced populations exist on the island of
Maui
The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...
in
Hawaii.
References
External links
*
Leaf for Life description of chipilínList of invasive plants in Hawai'i
longirostrata
Edible legumes
Leaf vegetables
Flora of Central America
Flora of Mexico
Flora of Chiapas
Flora of Oaxaca
Flora of Tabasco
Flora of Guatemala
Plants described in 1838
{{Faboideae-stub