Calopogonium mucunoides

NAME: Calopogonium mucunoides

FAMILY:  Fabaceae

COMMON NAMES:  calopo, wild ground nut, crab grass

LOCAL NAMES: Apalofa, Agbiri

MORPHOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION: Calopogonium mucunoides is  vigorous, hairy annual or short-lived creeping, twining or trailing, herb, up to several metres long, forming a tangled mass of foliage 30-50 cm thick, with densely pilose stems with long rust-coloured hairs.  

USEFUL PART(s): seed and leaves

GENERAL USES:

  • It is an important cover crop for plantation crops

  • Green manure to protect the soil surface

  • Weed controller

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION

  • Tropical Americas and the West Indies, Indonesia and Malaysia

WHY IS IT GREEN?

  • Diarrhoea,

  • Skin infection.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

  • Does not contain toxic factors.

  • Weed potential

FURTHER READING

Dinesh, R., Suryanarayana, M. A., Ghoshal Chaudhuri, S., & Sheeja, T. E. (2004). Long-term influence of leguminous cover crops on the biochemical properties of a sandy clay loam Fluventic Sulfaquent in a humid tropical region of India. Soil and Tillage Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2003.11.001

HIDAYATI, N. (2006). Potency of Centrocema pubescence, Calopogonium mucunoides, and Micania cordata for cleaning metal contaminants of gold mines waste. Biodiversitas, Journal of Biological Diversity. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d070102

Leuner, O., Havlik, J., Hummelova, J., Prokudina, E., Novy, P., & Kokoska, L. (2013). Distribution of isoflavones and coumestrol in neglected tropical and subtropical legumes. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.5835

Ribeiro, R. C., Feitoza, R. B. B., Lima, H. R. P., & Geraldo De Carvalho, M. (2015). Phytotoxic effects of phenolic compounds on Calopogonium mucunoides (Fabaceae) roots. Australian Journal of Botany. https://doi.org/10.1071/BT15097