Mucuna bennettii F.Muell.

Wiriadinata, H., Ohashi, H. & Adema, F., 2016, Notes on Malesian Fabaceae (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) 16. The genus Mucuna, Blumea 61 (2), pp. 90-124 : 105

5. Mucuna bennettii F.Muell.

Mucuna bennettii F.Muell.(1876) 63; Verdc. (1979) 439; Wilmot-Dear (1990) 32. — Type: D’Albertis s.n. (A n.v.), Papua New Guinea, Fly river .

Mucuna miniata Merr. (1917a) 278; [ Parrana miniata Rumph.(1747) 10]. — Type: Robinson Pl. Rumph. Ambon. 566 ( A, K, L, NY), Moluccas,Ambon, between Paso and Roema Tiga.

Mucuna elegans Merr. & L.M.Perry (1942) 406; Verdc.(1979) 442. — Type: Brass 2734 (BISH, L), Solomon Isl., San Cristoval Isl., Magona river.

Mucuna warburgii auct. non K.Schum. & Lauterb.: Verdc. (1979) 457, p.p.; Wilmot-Dear (1992) 243.

Distribution — Malesia: Celebes; Moluccas; New Guinea; Solomon Islands; New Hebrides: Vanuatu.

Habitat & Ecology — Primary or secondary, or depleted forests, often along rivers, swamp forest, sago swamps, fresh water swamp behind the beach. Altitude up to 400 m. Soil: limestone, clay. Flowering: April to October, December; fruiting: March, April, October.

Note — Brass 5724, a flowering specimen, was collected between January and March. Calyx in bud ± cylindrical, when the flower expand it becomes campanulate, but not tucked up. Three fruiting specimens have been included in the present description: Van Balgooy 6500 from Aru Islands, fruit collected from underneath a flowering specimen of M. bennettii ; Prawiroadmodjo & Maskuri 1541 from Celebes, originally identified as M. elegans ; Sands 1211 from PNG, W Sepik Prov. The fruits of these specimens are all rather similar differing only in length. The vegetative parts of the last two specimens agree very well with the description of M. bennettii . Jeswiet 145: Pedicels sometimes swollen, probably some kind of gall. Specimens from the Moluccas (originally M. miniata ) and the Solomon Islands (originally M. elegans ) have usually slightly smaller flowers. In other characters no differences were found. Mucuna warburgii was described with stipellae. Here we include the specimens identified as M. warburgii , but lacking stipellae.