Vigna radiata (L.) R.Wilczek, Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Accept, score: -1 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Phaseolus aureus Roxb.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: golden gram, green gram, mung bean

Habit:  herb

Description:  "An erect (in cultivated variants) or twining annual herb, occasionally cultivated near sea level. The stems have long, spreading, yellow to brown, bristly hairs, and the stipules are peltate, ovate, and up to 18 x 10 mm. The leaflet blades are very similar to those of Vigna mungo, but the inflorescences may have more numerous (4-25) flowers; the petals are pale yellow, with the keel (and other) petals pink- to purple-tinged. The fruits are horizontal, linear-cylindric, 4-10 cm long and 4-6 mm broad, with a dark brown, short, spreading, bristly indument; the 10-15 seeds are greenish to brown or blackish, oblong-cylindric to subglobose, up to 4.2 x 3.2 x 2.8 mm, and with the rim-aril not developed" (Smith, 1985; pp. 341-342).

Habitat/ecology:  In New Caledonia, "cultivé par des maraîchers javanais et surtout vietnamiens" (MacKee, 1994; p. 91).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  India, but now grown in tropical and subtropical areas throughout the world (Smith, 1985; pp. 341-342).

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	Vanua Levu Island	introduced cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (pp. 241-242) Vouchers cited: DA 12035, DA 12036
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced cultivated	Imada, Clyde T./Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. (2006) (p. Voucher specimens) Vouchers cited: Coker s.n. (BISH 55803, BISH 457312)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 91) Voucher cited: MacKee 45661
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)
Tonga Tonga Islands	Tonga Islands		Swarbrick, John T. (1997) (p. 95)
Tonga Vava‘u Group	Vava‘u Island	introduced cultivated	Yuncker, T. G. (1959) (p. 149) Cited: Barclay.

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)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Cambodia Cambodia	Cambodia (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic 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
Australia (Indian Ocean offshore islands) Christmas Island Group	Christmas Island	introduced invasive	Orchard, Anthony E., ed. (1993) (p. 18)

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

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

References:

Imada, Clyde T./Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. 2006. Annotated checklist of cultivated plants of Hawai‘i (online searchable database).

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

Orchard, Anthony E., ed. 1993. Flora of Australia. Vol. 50, Oceanic islands 2. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.

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

Swarbrick, John T. 1997. Weeds of the Pacific Islands. Technical paper no. 209. South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 124 pp.

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

Yuncker, T. G. 1959. Plants of Tonga. Bishop Museum Bull. 220. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 343 pp.