Present on Pacific Islands?  no

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Clitoria cajanifolia (C. Presl) Benth.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: leng jia die dou

English: laurel-leaf pigeonwings

Spanish: chocalho, generala, timbo

Habit:  shrub

Description: 

Genus:  "Trees, shrubs, lianas, or subshrubs to perennial herbs or vines; pubescence of minutely hooked trichomes common.  Leaves alternate, odd-pinnate, 3-foliolate, petiolate to subsessile or 1-foliolate, sessile; stipules and stipels persistent, striate, rarely caducous; petioles and rachis longitudinally striated, sometimes canaliculate; petiolules subquadrate, rugose.  Inflorescences axillary, terminal or cauliferous, bearing chasmogamous or infrequently cleistogamous flowers, 1-many-flowered; peduncles usually solitary or several-fascicled; pedicels paired at nodes; bracts striate, in 3 series below pedicels; bracteoles paired at calyx base, persistent, striate, usually appressed to calyx, rarely borne below on pedicels.  Chasmogamous flowers resupinate, showy, papilionaceous, pink, blue to violet, or white fading to pale yellow.  Calyx funnel-shaped, persistent in fruit, 5-lobed, upper 2 lobes subconnate, lowermost narrower, often longer.  Standard complicate, emarginate, short-clawed, spurless, veins dark-colored, converging in throat, abaxial surface pubescent.  Wings long-clawed, extending beyond the falcate-incurved, short-clawed keel.  Stamens 10, diadelphous, often persistent in fruit.  Pistil enclosed within staminal sheath; ovary stipitate; style geniculate, bearded longitudinally apically.  Cleistogamous flowers uncommon, inconspicuous unless with fruit; petals lacking or remnants hidden in calyx; calyx funnel-shaped, small, persistent in fruit, bracteolate, 5-lobed; pistil similar to that of chasmogamous flowers, but style bent abruptly back toward base, in contact with anthers.  Legume stipitate, linear, straight to subfalcate, thickened at sutures, valves flat or convex, weak to strongly depressed between seeds, ecostate or costate, beaked, spirally twisting upon dehiscence.  Seeds dark brown to black, smooth or viscid" (Berry et al., 1999; pp. 280-284).

Species:  Subshrub or perennial herb, aerial stems erect..  Leaves subsessile, 3-foliolate; leaflets 1-3 mm wide, petiole to 1.5 cm long, lower surface of leaflets pubescent.  Inflorescence 0.5-7 cm long; stem pubescence whitish; flowers pale bluish, lilac or lavender. Calyx 10-veined; fruits turgid, costate with medial longitudinal vein, 3.5-6 (-7) x 0.6-1.1 cm; stipe 7-12 (-14) cm long, enclosed within calyx; cleistogamy present (calyx 1-1.2 cm long); petiolules 2-5 mm long;   Calyx tube 11-15 mm long, 6-9 mm broad at throat, lobes 6-9 mm long; bracteoles 6-9 mm long; flowers 4-5.5 cm long; petioles 2-4 mm long. Seeds viscid. (adapted from Berry et al., 1999; pp. 280-284).

Description from the Flora of China online.

Habitat/ecology:  In Venezuela, "Sandy soil in savannas and along riverbanks, near sea level to 1300 m" (Berry et al., 1999; pp. 280-284).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  West Indies, Venezuela, Colombia, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil; introduced and established in eastern Africa and southeastern Asia (Berry et al., 1999; pp. 280-284).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Adventice

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 101) Isolated populations.
China China	China (People's Republic of)	introduced	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Below 600 m. Guangdong.
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	introduced	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	introduced	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced invasive	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 27) Naturalised
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Colombia	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	introduced	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	introduced	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2013)

Comments:  "Small isolated populations in the Cardwell area of coastal, north Queensland (Hacker 1990). Humphries and Stanton (1992) report a 3 ha infestation of numerous scattered thickets of mature shrubs surrounded by seedlings in the understorey of a Melaleuca wetland in the Kennedy National Park. Subsequent control work revealed additional infestations" (Csurhes & Edwards, 1998; p. 101).

Control:  If you know of control methods for Clitoria laurifolia, please let us know.