Vigna speciosa (Kunth) Verdc., Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Evaluate, score: 6 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Phaseolus rigidus Piper; Phaseolus speciosus Kunth

Common name(s): [more details]

English: prairie vetch, snail flower, snail maunaloa, wondering cowpea

Habit:  vine

Description:  "A small or large, usually herbaceous vine, the stems rather densely pilose with spreading hairs; stipules small, oblong, striate; leaflets ovate or rhombicovate, 4-11 cm. long, acute or acuminate, rounded or broadly cuneate at the base, sparsely pilose above, usually densely pilose beneath with subappressed or spreading hairs; peduncles usually much longer than the leaves, the flowers few, clustered near the end of the peduncle, short-pedicellate, the bracts deciduous; calyx broadly campanulate, 6-7 mm. long, pubescent or glabrate, the upper lip short and broad, the 3 lower teeth large, broad, obtuse, shorter than the tube; corolla purple or pale purple, about 3 cm. long, the keel tubular, sigmoid; legume about 11 cm. long and 4-5 mm. wide, linear, strongly compressed, long-attenuate, strigose or glabrate, with few or numerous seeds"  (Standley & Steyermark, 1945; v. 24, part V. p. 330).

"A vigorous climber up to 20 feet long, its leaves have 3 ovate leaflets 2-3.25 inches long, the lateral ones unequal-sided.  The inflorescences are in axillary racemes that bear 2-6 lavender-pink flowers, each 1.25-1.5 inches across and peculiar in that the apex of the keel is coiled nearly in a full circle and the bases of the petals have more or less acute lobes.  The pods are almost linear, 5-7 inches long, flattened, the 2 valves twisting when the pod opens and releasing numerous dark brown, compressed kidney-shaped seeds about 0.2 inch inch long"  (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 330).

Habitat/ecology:  In Guatemala (native), "dry to wet thickets, 200-1,900 meters"  (Standley & Steyermark, 1945; v. 24, part V. p. 330).

Propagation:  Seed.  "The vine reseeds itself freely and may be naturalizing on O‘ahu"  (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 330).

Native range:  Mexico through Central America to Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela (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	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Kennedy, Barbara H./James, Shelley A./Imada, Clyde T. (2010) (p. 22) Voucher cited: D. Lorence 9071 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (2003) (voucher ID: BISH 707155) Taxon name on voucher: Vigna speciosa (Kunth) Verdc.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Kennedy, Barbara H./James, Shelley A./Imada, Clyde T. (2010) (p. 22) East Maui. Voucher cited: F. Starr, K. Starr & L. Loope 021124-1 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Herbst, Derral (1998) (p. 3) Vouchers cited: Staples 1052 (BISH), Kadowaki & Staples 906 (BISH), Takeuchi 2584 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1985) (voucher ID: BISH 501509) Taxon name on voucher: Vigna speciosa (Kunth) Verdc.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	Standley, Paul C./Steyermark, Julian A. (1946) (p. 330)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	El Salvador (Republic of)		Missouri Botanical Garden (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	Standley, Paul C./Steyermark, Julian A. (1946) (p. 330)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Honduras (Republic of)		Missouri Botanical Garden (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Panama (Republic of)	native	Standley, Paul C./Steyermark, Julian A. (1946) (p. 330)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Colombia	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

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)	USA (Florida)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Vigna speciosa, please let us know.