Stylosanthes viscosa (L.) Sw., Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  no

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: seca, shrubby stylo

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Herb with trifoliate leaves, small yellow pea flowers and stipules.  Perennial to 0.8 m high, covered with dense sticky hairs.  Leaflets 5-12 mm long, 2-5 mm wide, patchy red-resinous below.  Pod with white markings and minute hook"  (Smith, 2002; pp. 65-66).

"An ascending and spreading or prostrate and matted, much-branched, perennial legume. Stems to 1 m long, densely pubescent with short viscid hairs. Leaflets to 25 mm long, 5 mm wide but usually much smaller, acute or obtuse, punctate beneath, shortly hairy or hispidulous, with two to four pairs of conspicuous veins. Petioles 2.5 to 5.0 mm long, hispidulous, viscid. Rachis 1 to 2 mm long. Sheath of the stipules 3.5 to 5.5 mm long, 1 to 2 mm longer than the teeth, hispidulous and viscid on the back, three- to five-nerved. Inflorescence a small, crowded ovoid spike, two- to five-flowered. Outer bracts usually trifoliate. Inner bract unifoliate, the sheath equaling or slightly exceeding the teeth, hispidulous and viscid on the back, five- to seven-nerved. Calyx tube 3 to 7 mm long, glabrous to pubescent. Standard sub-orbiculate, 4 to 7 mm long. Wings 4 to 5 mm long, auriculate, spurred within at the base. Keel petals 3 to 4 mm long, falcate. Loment to 2.5 mm long, shortly hairy, reticulately nerved. Beak short, less than half as long as the upper articulation, usually from one-third to one-quarter as long, shortly hairy, strongly uncinate, often coiled" (Mohlenbrock, 1957, cited by FAO).

Habitat/ecology:  "Grow on a wide range of soils including lighter, poorer quality soils.  Suited to warm humid areas with high rainfall.  Establish on disturbed sites, along roadsides and around settlements." (Smith, 2002; pp. 65-66).

Propagation:  "Large amounts of seed produced and dispersed by stock and animal movement, as a contaminant of hay, and by vehicles and machinery, e.g. slashers and graders" (Smith, 2002; pp. 65-66).

Native range:  Mexico, Central and South America (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Pratt, Linda W./Bio, Leali‘i F. (2012) (p. 77) Voucher cited: L.W. Pratt & J. Seide 3766 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Herbst, Derral R./Staples, George W./Imada, Clyde T. (2004) (p. 8) Vouchers cited: H. Oppenheimer H109904 (BISH), F. Starr & K. Martz 000129-1 (BISH), F. Starr et al. 000429-1 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Herbst, Derral R./Staples, George W./Imada, Clyde T. (2004) (p. 8) Voucher cited: K. Nagata & W. Takeuchi 3714 (BISH)

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	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Nicholas M. (2002) (pp. 65-66)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Nicholas M. (2002) (pp. 65-66)
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	uncertain if native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Costa Rica Costa Rica	Costa Rica (Republic of)	uncertain if native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
El Salvador El Salvador	El Salvador (Republic of)	uncertain if native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Guatemala Guatemala	Guatemala (Republic of)	uncertain if native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Honduras Honduras	Honduras (Republic of)	uncertain if native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	uncertain if native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Nicaragua Nicaragua	Nicaragua (Republic of)	uncertain if native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Panama Panama	Panama (Republic of)	uncertain if native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)

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) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	uncertain if native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)

Additional information:
Information from FAO.

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

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

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

References:

Herbst, Derral R./Staples, George W./Imada, Clyde T. 2004. New Hawaiian plant records for 2002-2003. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2003. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 78:3-12.

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

Pratt, Linda W./Bio, Leali‘i F. 2012. New plant records from Hawai‘i Island. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2011. Part II: Plants. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 113:75-80.

Smith, Nicholas M. 2002. Weeds of the wet/dry tropics of Australia - a field guide. Environment Centre NT, Inc. 112 pp.

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