Mucuna pruriens

Wiriadinata, H., Ohashi, H. & Adema, F., 2016, Notes on Malesian Fabaceae (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) 16. The genus Mucuna, Blumea 61 (2), pp. 90-124 : 115

35. Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC.

Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC.(1825) 405; Decne. (1835) 147; Baker (1879) 187; Fern.-Vill.(1880) 63; Burck (1893) 187; Prain (1897a) 68;K. Heyne(1916) 326; Ridl. (1922) 577; Merr. (1923) 309; Burkill (1935) 1503; Backer & Bakh.f. (1964) 629;Verdc.(1979) 451; Wilmot-Dear (1984) 61; (1991b) 245;(1992) 235. — Dolichos pruriens L. (1754) 23;(1759) 132. — Stizolobium pruriens (L.) Medik. (1787) 399. — Stizolobium pruriens (L.) Pers. (1807) 299. — Mucuna prurita Hook. (1831) 348; Benth. (1852) 237; Miq. (1855) 211. — Type: Rumphius, Herb.Amboin. 5 (1747) t. 142.

[ Cacara nigra Rumph. (1747) 381, t. 138.] See Merr. (1917a) 279.

[ Cacara pilosa Rumph. (1747) 392.] See Merr. (1917a) 279.

[ Cacara pruritus Rumph. (1747) 393, t. 142.] See Merr. (1917a) 277.

Marcanthus cochinchinensis Lour. (1790) 461. — Mucuna cochinchinensis (Lour.) A.Chev. (1919) 91. — Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC. forma cochinchinensis (Lour.) Backer in Backer & Bakh.f. (1964) 629. — Type: Loureiro s.n. (BM), Cochinchina.

Carpopogon niveus Roxb. [(1814) 54, nom. nud.]; (1832) 285. — Mucuna nivea (Roxb.) Wight & Arn. (1834) 255. — Lectotype ( Wilmot-Dear 1984): Roxburgh drawing 1601 (K).

Carpopogon capitatus Roxb. (1832) 284. — Lectotype ( Wilmot-Dear 1984): Roxburgh drawing 285 (K) (‘Soorootoo’).

Mucuna hirsuta Wight & Arn. (1834) 254. — Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC. var. hirsuta (Wight & Arn.) Wilmot-Dear (1987) 44. — Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC. forma hirsuta (Wight & Arn.) Backer in K. Heyne (1916) 327; in Backer & Bakh.f. (1964) 629. — Type: Wight 750 (E, K), Pen. Ind. Or.

Mucuna capitata Wight & Arn. (1834) 255; Benth. (1852) 237; Miq. (1855) 212. — Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC. var. capitata (Wight & Arn.) Burck (1893) 187. — Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC. forma capitata (Wight & Arn.) K. Heyne (1916) 328. — Type:? Wight 754?

Negretia mitis Blanco (1837) 588 (nom. illeg., non Ruiz & Pav.); (1845) 410; (1879) 388, pl. 405b; Merr. (1918) 188. — Neotype (here designated): Merrill Species Blancoanae 863 (K), Luzon , Manila.

Mucuna utilis Wall. ex Wight (1840) pl. 280; Miq. (1855) 212. — Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC. var. utilis (Wall.ex Wight) Burck (1893) 187; Wilmot-Dear (1984) 62; (1990) 34;(1991b) 249. — Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC. forma utilis (Wall. ex Wight) K. Heyne (1916) 327. — Type: Wight, Ic. Pl. Ind. Or. 1 (1840) pl. 280.

Mucuna velutina Hassk. (1844) 277. — Type: not indicated.

Negretia pruriens Blanco (1845) 411. — Neotype (here designated): Merrill Species Blancoana 645 (L), Luzon, Rizal, Fort William McKinley.

Mucuna lyonii Merr.(1906) 197. — Type: Lyon s.n. (K, PNH†, US), cultivated, Luzon , Manila (seeds from Luzon, Pampanga).

Stizolobium deeringianum Bort (1909) 31, f. 1, pl. 2, 3. — Mucuna deeringiana (Bort) Merr.(1910) 118;(1923) 308; Wilmot-Dear (1984) 63. — Type: Carleton s.n. (n.v.), Florida,Argo.

Stizolobium aterrima Piper & Tracy (1910) 18, t. 4B, 7. — Mucuna aterrima (Piper & Tracy) Merr. (1917a) 279. — Type: not indicated.

Mucuna atropurpurea auct. non DC.: Fern.-Vill., Nov.App. (1880) 63.

Distribution — Tropical Africa, Madagascar, Mascarenes, S Asia, Malesia: Sumatra; Java; Philippines: Luzon, Mindanao; Celebes; Lesser Sunda Islands: Bali, Lombok, Soemba, Flores, Timor; Moluccas: Ceram, Halmahera; New Guinea. Also cultivated in the tropics of the old and new world.

Habitat & Ecology — Primary and secondary forests, monsoon forest, grasslands, along hedges and fields, along rivers, at the sea coast, along roads. Soil: sand, loam, limestone, volcanic soil. Altitude up to 1300 m. Flowering: January, April to July, September, October, December; fruiting: January,April to December.

Note — A very variable species. At several levels, from species to formae, entities have been described, many of the names concern cultivated forms. Wilmot-Dear (1984) who revised Mucuna for several areas in Asia is consistent in the use of varieties for the most distinguishable forms. Here we follow her lead and distinguish several varieties of which two occur in Malesia ( var. pruriens and var. utilis ). All cultivated forms are combined in var. utilis . Backer (1916 and in Backer & Bakhuizen van den Brink 1964) mentions the form/ variety hirsuta for E Java. No specimen of this variety from Java was seen by the present authors. M. pruriens var. hirsuta is found in Continental Asia.

Key to the varieties

1. Irritating hairs present at least at inflorescence axes, calyx and pods. Bracts to the brachyblasts 7–10 mm long. Bracteoles elliptic, 4.8–4.9 mm long. Calyx 9.5– 14 mm long. Pods 7–9.5 by 1.0–1.6 cm. Seeds 8–13 by 6.5–11 by 2.0–4.5 mm. — Wild, widespread.................. a. var. pruriens