Aeschynomene americana L., Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 12 (Go to the risk assessment)

Common name(s): [more details]

English: American joint vetch, joint vetch, shyleaf

Spanish: pega pega, pulmón

Habit:  herb

Description:  "An erect-ascending, annual or short-lived perennial, shrub-like legume, 1 to 2 m tall. Stems hairless, often hard but pithy in the lower regions; upper sections hairy, usually glandular. Leaves 3 to 7 cm long. Leaflets 8 to 38 pairs, 5 to 15 mm long, 1 to 2 mm wide, linear or linear to oblong, sensitive, folding together when touched. Stipules persistent, linear-lanceolate, 1 to 2 cm long. Inflorescence a loose, few-flowered raceme, often branched. Calyx about 4 mm long, deeply two-lipped. Corolla varying in colour from white tinged with mauve or light violet to purple to flesh coloured, sometimes pinkish orange, 6 to 10 mm long. Pod usually slightly curved, four to eight jointed, up to 4 cm long, the upper margin entire, the lower deeply indented at each segment joint; each segment one-seeded; semi-circular, about 4 mm long. Seeds grey-green to dark and light brown" (FAO).

Habitat/ecology:  "Essentially a wetland plant, requiring a minimum of 1 000 mm mean annual rainfall.  Sea level to 1 000 m in Jamaica (Adams, 1972).  Var. flabellata is found mainly in wet or moist places at elevations up to 2 800 m.  Quite widely adapted, but particularly suited to wet, low-lying, sandy soils and to similarly located solodics of coastal lowland country" (FAO). In New Guinea, "a weed of grazing land, avoided by stock and thus able to out-grow more palatable species if not controlled. Lowland localities with marked dry seasons" (Henty & Pritchard, 1975).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "Native to Central America and tropical South America, extending as far south as Argentina and north to Florida, United States, and the West Indies" (FAO).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Saipan Island	introduced	Raulerson, L. (2006) (p. 35)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Tinian Island	introduced	Raulerson, L. (2006) (p. 35)
Federated States of Micronesia Kosrae Island	Kosrae Island	introduced	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Denslow, Julie S./Nelson, Duane/Waguk, Erick E. (2000) (p. Voucher specimen) Voucher: BMW 5777 (BISH, BRI)
Federated States of Micronesia Kosrae Island	Kosrae Island	introduced invasive	Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim (2005) (p. 15) Voucher cited: Lorence 9389 (PTBG)
Federated States of Micronesia Kosrae Island	Kosrae Island	introduced invasive	Josekutty, P. C./Wakuk, E. E./Joseph, M. J. (2002) (p. 62)
Federated States of Micronesia Yap Islands	Yap (Waqab) Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 102)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Raulerson, L. (2006) (p. 35)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 80) Vouchers cited: Däniker 1686 (Z), MacKee 15544, MacKee 28595, Thomas in MacKee 39279
Palau Palau (main island group)	Babeldaob Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 102)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Babeldaob Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Lorence, David H./LaRosa, Anne Marie (2009) (p. 3) Vouchers: Lorence 9812 (BNM, PTBG), Lorence 9915 (BNM, PTBG)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Babeldaob Island		Beleu National Museum (Republic of Palau. Koror.) (1982) (voucher ID: BNM 3156) Taxon name on voucher: Aeschynomene americana L.
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 102)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island		Beleu National Museum (Republic of Palau. Koror.) (1966) (voucher ID: BNM 1240) Taxon name on voucher: Aeschynomene americana L.
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island		Beleu National Museum (Republic of Palau. Koror.) (1966) (voucher ID: BNM 415) Taxon name on voucher: Aeschynomene americana L.
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island		Beleu National Museum (Republic of Palau. Koror.) (1977) (voucher ID: BNM 10015) Taxon name on voucher: Aeschynomene americana L.
Palau Palau (main island group)	Ngerkebesang Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 102)
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	introduced invasive	Henty, E. E./Pritchard, G. H. (1975) (p. 110)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 9)

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)	Australia (continental)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2009)
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Costa Rica Costa Rica	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Ecuador (Mainland) Ecuador	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
El Salvador El Salvador	El Salvador (Republic of)	native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2009)
Guatemala Guatemala	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Honduras Honduras	Honduras (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2009)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Nicaragua Nicaragua	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Panama Panama	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)
Perú Perú	Perú (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2009)
India (Indian Ocean offshore islands) Andaman Islands	Andaman Islands	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2009)
India (Indian Ocean offshore islands) Nicobar Islands	Nicobar Islands	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2009)
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2009)
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Seychelles Islands	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2009)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast and Florida) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009)

Additional information:
Additional online information about Aeschynomene americana is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Aeschynomene americana as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Aeschynomene americana may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Beleu National Museum (Republic of Palau. Koror.). 1966. Voucher specimen #BNM1240(Blackburn, B.S. 41).

Beleu National Museum (Republic of Palau. Koror.). 1966. Voucher specimen #BNM415(Cheatham 123).

Beleu National Museum (Republic of Palau. Koror.). 1977. Voucher specimen #BNM10015(Otobed, D.O. PW-10015).

Beleu National Museum (Republic of Palau. Koror.). 1982. Voucher specimen #BNM3156(Timberlake, J. 3156).

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1979. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian dicotyledonae. Micronesica 15:1-295.

Henty, E. E./Pritchard, G. H. 1975. Weeds of New Guinea and their control. 2nd edition. Department of Forests, Division of Botany, Botany Bull. No. 7. Lae, Papua New Guinea. 180 pp.

Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 391 pp.

ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre. 2009. International Legume Database & Information Service. Online searchable database.

Josekutty, P. C./Wakuk, E. E./Joseph, M. J. 2002. Invasive/weedy angiosperms in Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia. In: Invasive species and their management. Micronesica Suppl. 6:61-65.

Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim. 2005. Checklist of the plants of Kosrae. Unpublished checklist. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Hawai‘i. 23 pp.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

Raulerson, L. 2006. Checklist of Plants of the Mariana Islands. University of Guam Herbarium Contribution 40:1-69. .

Space, James C./Lorence, David H./LaRosa, Anne Marie. 2009. Report to the Republic of Palau: 2008 update on Invasive Plant Species. USDA Forest Service, Hilo, Hawai‘i. (In press).

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Denslow, Julie S./Nelson, Duane/Waguk, Erick E. 2000. Invasive plant species on Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia.  USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 43 pp.

U. S. Government. 2009. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (on-line resource).

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2009. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.