Chamaecrista mimosoides (L.) Greene, Fabaceae

Click on an image for links to BIGGER PICTURES

Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Cassia mimosoides L.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chamorro: pangalinau

Chinese: shan bian dou

English: chamaecrista, 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:  "Herbs, suffrutescent, annual or perennial, with woody base, 30-60 cm tall, or low shrubs to 1 m tall, with many slender, puberulent branches. Leaves 4-8 cm, with an orbicular, discoid, sessile gland in upper part of petiole, below lowest pair of leaflets; stipules persistent, linear-subulate, 4-7 mm, with conspicuous longitudinal veins; rachis not canaliculate, sparsely pubescent; leaflets sessile, 20-50 (-80) pairs, reddish brown when dry, linear-falcate, 3-4 x ca. 1 mm, midvein near upper margin of blade, very unequally sided, base obliquely truncate, apex acute, mucronate. Flowers supra-axillary, mostly solitary, sometimes 2 or 3 together in a very short raceme; bracts and bracteoles similar to stipules but latter smaller. Sepals lanceolate, 4-8 mm, apex acute. Petals bright yellow, unequal, obovate to orbicular, equal to or slightly longer than sepals, shortly clawed. Stamens 10, alternately 5 shorter and 5 longer; anthers opening by apical pores. Ovary with stiff, appressed hairs; stigma flat. Legume flat, falcate, 2.5-5 x ca. 0.5 cm. Seeds 10-20, flat, smooth"  (Flora of China online).

"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	introduced invasive	Herrera, Katherine/Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy/Balick, Michael J. (2010) (p. 90) Vouchers cited: F.R. Fosberg 58392 (BISH), S.F. Glassman 2513 (BISH) Naturalized
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)	Koror Island		Beleu National Museum (Republic of Palau. Koror.) (1977) (voucher ID: BNM 10020) Taxon name on voucher: Chamaecrista mimosoides L.
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 Bismarck Archipelago	Bismarck Archipelago		Peekel, P. G. [translated by E. E. Henty] (1984) (p. 221) In grassland, not rare.
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. (2011)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	uncertain if native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands		Merrill, Elmer D. (1923) (pp. 263-264) In open grasslands at low and medium altitudes, in some regions ascending to 1,500 m.
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Western Samoa Islands	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
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 (2011)
Wallis and Futuna Wallis and Futuna (Horne) Islands	Wallis (‘Uvea) Island	introduced cultivated	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2007) (p. 34) As Cassia mimosoides

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 (2011)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	native	Australian Biological Resources Study (2011)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	introduced invasive	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) "Slopes, wastelands, among bushes, grasslands. S. China".
China China	Hong Kong	native	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 135)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Japan Japan	Japan (country)	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 184) As Cassia mimosoides L. subsp. leschenaultiana Ohashi
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced invasive	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 25) Naturalised
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (1984) (voucher ID: PTBG 37903) Taxon name on voucher: Cassia mimosoides
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

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 (2011)
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Groupe d'Aldabra	uncertain if native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Seychelles Islands	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)

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

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

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

References:

Australian Biological Resources Study. 2011. Flora of Australia Online. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.

Beleu National Museum (Republic of Palau. Koror.). 1977. Voucher specimen #BNM10020(Otobed, D.O. PW-10020).

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).

Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. 2009. A checklist of the total vascular plant flora of Singapore: native, naturalised and cultivated species. Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore. 273 pp.

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.

Herrera, Katherine/Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy/Balick, Michael J. 2010. Checklist of the vascular plants of Pohnpei with local names and uses. Allertonia, in press. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Hawai‘i. 146 pp.

ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre. 2011. International Legume Database & Information Service. Online searchable database.

Merrill, Elmer D. 1923. An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants, vol. 2 [reprint]. Bureau of Printing, Manila. 530 pp.

Meyer, Jean-Yves. 2007. Rapport de mission sur l'Ile d'Uvea (Wallis & Futuna) du 6 au 17 Novembre 2007: Inventaire preliminaire de la flore vasculaire secondaire [unpublished report]. Délégation à la Recherche, Ministère de l'Education, l'Enseignement Supérieur et la Recherche, B.P. 20981 Papeete, Tahiti, Polynésie française. 39 pp.

Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro. 2004. Invasive alien species in Japan: the status quo and the new regulation for prevention of their adverse effects. Global Environmental Research 8(2)/2004: 171-191.

National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.). 1984. Voucher specimen #PTBG37903(Ching-I Peng 7230).

Peekel, P. G. [translated by E. E. Henty]. 1984. Flora of the Bismarck Archipelago for naturalists. Office of Forests, Division of Botany, Lae, Papua New Guinea. 638 pp. ISBN 9980-66-000-7.

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. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wu, Te-lin. 2001. Check List of Hong Kong Plants. Hong Kong Herbarium and the South China Institute of Botany. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department Bulletin 1 (revised). 384 pp.

Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong. 2011. Flora of China (online resource).