Neonotonia wightii (Wight & Arn.) Verdc., Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results: 

More information needed, score: 7 (Go to the risk assessment (Australia))
High risk, score: 7 (Go to the risk assessment (Pacific))

Other Latin names:  Glycine javanica L.; Glycine wightii (Wight & Arnott.) Verdc.; Notonia wightii Wight & Arnott.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: glycine, perennial soybean, tinaroo glycene

French: soja pérenne

Habit:  vine

Description:  "Twining or prostrate perennial herbs; stems 0.6-4.5 m long, often forming dense clumps, woody toward the base, densely pubescent with long, spreading to appressed, rusty hairs.  Leaflets elliptic, ovate, or rhombic-ovate, 1.5-16 cm long, 1.3-12.5 cm wide, glabrous to densely velvety pubescent, stipels subulate, ca. 2 mm long.  Flowers in dense or lax pseudoracemes to 2-60 cm long; calyx sparsely to densely pubescent, the tube 1.5-2 mm long, the lobes linear-lanceolate, 2-3 mm long; corolla white or white with a mauve spot on the standard, drying orange, standard 4-7.5 mm long, wings with a tooth or lobe at juncture of lobe and claw.  Pods linear-oblong, straight or curved, 15-36 mm long, 2.5-5 mm wide, densely rusty pubescent, transversely grooved between the seeds, " weakly septate.  Seeds 4-7, dark reddish brown, oblong, somewhat compressed, 2.5-4 mm long, 1.5-3 mm wide, aril white"  (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 674, 1877).

Habitat/ecology:  "A vigorous perennial, twining, leguminous vine that can smother grasses and other low-lying vegetation. Growth is most prolific in tropical and sub-tropical climates where rainfall is 750-1500 mm per year." (Csurhes & Edwards, 1998; p. 119).    Often used as fodder or a cover crop.

In Hawai‘i, "cultivated as a fodder plant and naturalized in pastures, along roadsides, and in other low elevation, disturbed areas"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 674). In New Caledonia, "introduit comme plante fourragère; reste peu répandu bien que parfois localement abondant" (MacKee, 1994; p. 84).

Propagation:  Seed (Csurhes & Edwards, 1998; p. 119).

Native range:  Central and South America and the West Indies; widely naturalized.

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (pp. 230-231) Vouchers cited: DA 13183 (FDA 15417), 14356 (FDA 16020), DA 9786, DA 10837, DA 9463 (FDA 14350) DA 9465 Perhaps sparingly naturalized.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1955) (voucher ID: BISH 14578) Taxon name on voucher: Neonotonia wightii (Wight & Arn.) Verdc.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1965) (voucher ID: BISH 34241) Taxon name on voucher: Neonotonia wightii (Wight & Arn.) Verdc.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1963) (voucher ID: BISH 34242) Taxon name on voucher: Neonotonia wightii (Wight & Arn.) Verdc.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1955) (voucher ID: BISH 34243) Taxon name on voucher: Neonotonia wightii (Wight & Arn.) Verdc.
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island	introduced invasive	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (p. 156) Voucher cited: BRY 26486
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 674, 1877)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaho‘olawe Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 674, 1877)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Herbarium Pacificum Staff (1996) (pp. 4-5) Voucher cited: T. Flynn 5730 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Lāna‘i Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank (2007) (p. 24) Voucher cited: Oppenheimer H100632 (BISH, PTBG)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 674, 1877)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Hughes, Guy D'Oyly (1995) (p. 6) Voucher cited: Hughes s.n. (BISH) Dominates large sections of secondary lowland habitat.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 674, 1877)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 84) Vouchers cited: Mackee 21260, Mackee 39221, Mackee 40605, Mackee 41624, Mackee 45611
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced cultivated	Sykes, W. R. (1970) (p. 155) As Glycine javanica L.; voucher cited: CHR 188600
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2000) (p. 24)
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara M./Newfield, Melanie/Bull, Cate (2004) (p. 44)
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Tonga Tongatapu Group	‘Eua Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2001) (p. 61)
Tonga Tongatapu Group	Tongatapu Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2001) (p. 54) Voucher: Flynn 6827 (PTBG, US, NY)
Tonga Tongatapu Group	Tongatapu Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (2001) (voucher ID: PTBG 251) Taxon name on voucher: Neonotonia wightii
Wallis and Futuna Wallis and Futuna (Horne) Islands	Wallis (‘Uvea) Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2007) (p. 35)

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)	New South Wales	introduced invasive cultivated	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 119)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive cultivated	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 119)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country 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	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Rodrigues Island	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)

Comments:  Naturalized populations in coastal and sub-coastal areas of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia (Csurhes & Edwards, 1998; p. 119).

Control: 

Physical:  "Not a problem in pastures, as tinaroo glycine is relished by cattle and other livestock"  (Motooka et al., 2003).

Chemical:  "Pat Bily (TNC) reported good control with foliar application of 2% solution of triclopyr amine in water with surfactant. Tolerant to tebuthiuron in apple-of-Sodom control trials and following large-scale aerial treatment of pastures in South Point, Hawai‘i" (Motooka et al., 2003).

Additional information:
Excerpt from the book "Weeds of Hawaii‘s Pastures and Natural Areas; An Identification and Management Guide" (Motooka et al., 2003). (PDF format).
Fact sheet from the Government of Queensland, Australia. (PDF format).

Additional online information about Neonotonia wightii is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

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

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

References:

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1955. Voucher specimen #BISH 14578 (Koroiveibau, D. 9463).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1955. Voucher specimen #BISH 34243 (Koroiveibau, D. 9463).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1963. Voucher specimen #BISH 34242 (Koroiveibau, D. 13183).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1965. Voucher specimen #BISH 34241 (Qoro, I. 14356).

Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. 1998. Potential environmental weeds in Australia: Candidate species for preventative control. Canberra, Australia. Biodiversity Group, Environment Australia. 208 pp.

Herbarium Pacificum Staff. 1996. New Hawaiian pest plant records for 1995. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Miller, Scott, E., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1995. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 46:3-8.

Hughes, Guy D'Oyly. 1995. New Hawaiian plant records II. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Miller, Scott, E., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1994. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 42:1-10.

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

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

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.

Motooka, Philip/Castro, Luisa/Nelson, Duane/Nagai, Guy/Ching, Lincoln. 2003. Weeds of Hawaii‘s Pastures and Natural Areas; An Identification and Management Guide. College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii at Manoa. 184 pp.

Motooka, Philip/Ching, Lincoln/Nagai, Guy. 2002. Herbicidal Weed Control Methods for Pasture and Natural Areas of Hawaii. Cooperative Extension Service, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawai‘i. CTAHR free publication WC-8.

National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.). 2001. Voucher specimen #PTBG251(Tim Flynn 6827).

Oppenheimer, Hank. 2007. New plant records from Moloka‘i, Lāna‘i, Maui, and Hawai‘i for 2006. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucias G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2006. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 96:17-34.

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./Flynn, Tim. 2000. Report to the Government of Niue on invasive plant species of environmental concern.  USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 34 pp.

Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2001. Report to the Kingdom of Tonga on invasive plant species of environmental concern.  USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 78 pp.

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara M./Newfield, Melanie/Bull, Cate. 2004. Report to the Government of Niue and the United Nations Development Programme: Invasive plant species on Niue following Cyclone Heta. UNDP NIU/98/G31 - Niue Enabling Activity. 80 pp.

Sykes, W. R. 1970. Contributions to the flora of Niue. New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Bulletin 200, Wellington. 321 pp.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Welsh, S. L. 1998. Flora Societensis: A summary revision of the flowering plants of the Society Islands. E.P.S. Inc., Orem, Utah. 420 pp.