Chamaecrista mimosoides (L.) Greene, Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Cassia mimosoides L.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Japanese tea

Palauan: ukellela chedip

Habit:  herb

Description: 

Genus: "Trees, shrubs, or herbs, often with extrafloral nectaries on leaf petioles and/or raceme axes; leaves spirally arranged or distichous, paripinnate, the leaflets opposite (numerous and small in our taxa); inflorescences 1-many-flowered, racemose, the axis sometimes adnate to stem, the pedicels 2-bracteolate near or above middle; flowers with 5 sepals, imbricate; petals 5, nearly always highly heteromorphic, yellow (sometimes red-marked near claw), the 2 abaxial ones variously oblique, the vexillar one usually interior in bud but sometimes exterior on one or both sides; androecium functionally (2-) 5-10-merous, essentially actinomorphic, the filaments straight, short, the anthers basifixed, equal or unequal (if unequal not accrescent toward abaxial side of flower), puberulent or pilosulous along lateral sutures, dehiscent by pores or short slits apically; fruit plano-compressed, very rarely winged along sutures, elastically dehiscent, the valves coiling, papery, leathery, or subligneous, the seed funicle deltately dilated, the seeds with a smooth or pitted testa, without areoles"  (Smith, 1985; pp. 116-118).

Species: "Stipules acicular to lanceolate, usually 3-10 mm long and with only 1-3 nerves in distal portion; leaves with petioles 1-3 mm long, the gland flat, discoid, 0.3-1 mm in diameter; leaf rachis seemingly serrate, the margins of furrow slightly expanded between leaflet pairs into rounded wings; leaflets 15-40 (-80) pairs, the blades usually 2-8 x 0.5-1.5 mm and with venation often immersed or obscure on upper surface; seeds about half as long as broad"  (Smith, 1985; pp. 116-118).

C. nictitans (similar species): "Stipules lanceolate, usually 5-15 mm long and prominently 5-13-nerved; leaves with petioles 3-7 mm long, the gland variable but usually slightly elevated (depressed in center) and 0.5-1 mm in diameter, sometimes obovoid-stipitate; leaf rachis sulcate, the margins of furrow not raised between leaflet pairs and appearing only narrowly winged; leaflets 10-26 (-31) pairs, the blades usually 10-23 x 2-3 mm and with venation evident on both surfaces; seeds nearly as broad as long" (Smith, 1985; pp. 116-118).

Habitat/ecology:  "In Guam it is a rather uncommon roadside weed" (Stone, 1970; pp. 310-311).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "Widespread in the paleotropics" (Smith, 1985; pp. 116-118).

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	Agrigan (Agrihan) Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 98)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Pagan Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 98)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Pagan Island	introduced invasive	Fosberg, F. R./Falanruw, M. V. C./Sachet, M.-H. (1975) (p. 26) Voucher cited: Kanehira 2202 (NY, FU)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Pagan Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1949) (voucher ID: BISH 652551) Taxon name on voucher: Cassia mimosoides
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Rota Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 98)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Rota Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1946) (voucher ID: BISH 652550) Taxon name on voucher: Cassia mimosoides
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Saipan Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 98)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 98)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	introduced invasive	Glassman, S. F. (1952) (p. 75) Voucher cited: Glassman 2513 (US)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1949) (voucher ID: BISH 153653) Taxon name on voucher: Cassia mimosoides
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1978) (voucher ID: BISH 652552) Taxon name on voucher: Cassia mimosoides
Federated States of Micronesia Yap Islands	Tomil Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1946) (voucher ID: BISH 652566) Taxon name on voucher: Cassia mimosoides
Federated States of Micronesia Yap Islands	Yap (Waqab) Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 98)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (p. 118) Vouchers cited: DA 12578, DA 9560, DA 12147
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1955) (voucher ID: BISH 14472) Taxon name on voucher: Chamaecrista mimosoides (L.) Greene
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1960) (voucher ID: BISH 14474) Taxon name on voucher: Chamaecrista mimosoides (L.) Greene
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1962) (voucher ID: BISH 14475) Taxon name on voucher: Chamaecrista mimosoides (L.) Greene
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced invasive	Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (pp. 310-311) Voucher cited: Stone 4902 (GUAM)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 98)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Babeldaob Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (p. 84)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 98)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1977) (voucher ID: BISH 428452) Taxon name on voucher: Cassia mimosoides
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1965) (voucher ID: BISH 652553) Taxon name on voucher: Cassia mimosoides
Palau Palau (main island group)	Ngerkebesang Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 98)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Ngerkebesang Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1950) (voucher ID: BISH 652567) Taxon name on voucher: Cassia mimosoides
Palau Palau (main island group)	Palau Islands (main island group)		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1933) (voucher ID: BISH 153651) Taxon name on voucher: Cassia mimosoides
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	introduced invasive	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (p. 118)
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	uncertain if native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Western Samoa Islands	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	native	Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. (1988) (p. 56)
Tonga Tonga Islands	Tonga Islands	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)

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)	Northern Territory	native	Australian Biological Resources Study (2007)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	native	Australian Biological Resources Study (2007)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)

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		Polhill, R. M. (1990)
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island	native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Groupe d'Aldabra	uncertain if native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Seychelles Islands	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)

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

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

References:

Australian Biological Resources Study. 2007. Flora of Australia Online. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1933. Voucher specimen #BISH 153651 (Hosokawa, T. 6991).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1946. Voucher specimen #BISH 652550 (Fosberg, F.R. 25099).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1946. Voucher specimen #BISH 652566 (Hosaka, E.Y. 3285).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1949. Voucher specimen #BISH 153653 (Glassman, S.F. 2513).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1949. Voucher specimen #BISH 652551 (Anderson, D. 602).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1950. Voucher specimen #BISH 652567 (Fosberg, F.R. 32135).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1955. Voucher specimen #BISH 14472 (Walker, C. 9560).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1960. Voucher specimen #BISH 14474 (Pillay, S. 12147).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1962. Voucher specimen #BISH 14475 (Solvalu, F.S. 12578).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1965. Voucher specimen #BISH 652553 (Fosberg, F.R. 47495).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1977. Voucher specimen #BISH 428452 (Otobed, D.O. PW-10020).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1978. Voucher specimen #BISH 652552 (Fosberg, F.R. 58392).

Fosberg, F. R./Falanruw, M. V. C./Sachet, M.-H. 1975. Vascular flora of the northern Marianas Islands. Smithsonian Contrib. Bot. 22:1-45.

Fosberg, F. R./Otobed, D./Sachet, M.-H./Oliver, R. L./Powell, D. A./Canfield, J. E. 1980. Vascular plants of Palau with vernacular names. Department of Botany, The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 43 pp.

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

Glassman, S. F. 1952. The flora of Ponape. Bishop Mus. Bull. 209: 1-152.

Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. 1988. Flora of the Solomon Islands. Research Bulletin No. 7. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Honiara. 203 pp.

ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre. 2005. International Legume Database & Information Service. Online searchable database.

Polhill, R. M. 1990. Legumineuses. In: Flore des Mascareignes, Vol. 80. J. Bosser et al., eds.

Smith, Albert C. 1985. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 3. 758 pp.

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar. 2003. Report to the Republic of Palau on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 174 pp.

Stone, Benjamin C. 1970. The flora of Guam. Micronesica 6:1-659.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.