Vigna luteola (Jacq.) Benth.

Raab-Straube, Eckhard von & Raus, Thomas, 2023, Euro + Med-Checklist Notulae, 16, Willdenowia 53 (1), pp. 57-77 : 63-64

Vigna luteola (Jacq.) Benth. – Fig. 5.

D AE(G): Greece, East Aegean Islands: Rodos, Paradisi, river mouth 1 km W of Rodos airport, 36°23'51''N, 28°03'30''E, c. 5 m, stand of Phragmites Adans. , 5 Jul 2021, Krause & Ristow (herb. Ristow + photo [ Fig. 5B ]); ibid., 19 Oct 2021, still in flower, Sasse (photo [ Fig. 5A ]); 23 Sep 2022, Kummer (herb. Kummer); 12 Oct 2022, Manousakis (obs.).

– New to Greece. In 2021, we found a population of several plants W of the airport of Rodos, in flower and fruit. The habitat is a mixed stand of Phragmites australis (Cav.) Steud. and Arundo donax L. in a small riverbed 150 m from the sea. The species is accompanied by typical wetland plants such as Calystegia cf. sepium (L.) R. Br., Cynanchum acutum L., Cyperus fuscus L., Epilobium hirsutum L., Lysimachia sp. , Lycopus europaeus L., Lythrum junceum Banks & Sol. , Pulicaria dysenterica (L.) Bernh., Schoenoplectus litoralis (Schrad.) Palla , Typha domingensis (Pers.) Steud. and Veronica anagallis -aquatica L. as well as Glycyrrhiza glabra L., Rubus sanctus Schreb. , Symphyotrichum squamatum (Spreng.) G. L. Nesom and Euphorbia hirsuta L. (for the last species only one other recent finding on Rodos is known). Symphyotrichum squamatum is the only typical ruderal species, while Glycyrrhiza glabra can be interpreted as a remnant or escape of old or ancient cultivation (see Strid 2016: map 1642). At the location of Paradisi, Vigna luteola seems to be a typical species of summer and autumn presence; in springtime (April 2022) no trace of it was to be seen.

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Outgroup

The pantropical Vigna luteola reaches the Mediterranean only in the east: it is known from Israel ( Post 1932; Zohary 1972), Lebanon ( Post 1932; Mouterde 1970) and Egypt ( Täckholm 1974). The nearest populations probably grow in the Nile delta, c. 600 km S of Rodos ( Shaltout & al. 1994). The species is used as fodder plant on a small scale, e.g. in the U.S.A. ( Tomooka & al. 2011). It is known to be highly salt-tolerant ( Yoshida & al. 2020).

The Paradisi population clearly gives the impression of being established: several plants growing over at least 100 m 2 observed for two years in a natural habitat. The direct surroundings with ± extensive agriculture and partly abandoned gardens with Cenchrus clandestinus (Hochst. ex Chiov.) Morrone , Chasmanthe floribunda (Salisb.) N. E. Br. , Myoporum cf. laetum G. Forst. and Tropaeolum majus L. as garden escapes nearby make a recent introduction most likely. The wider surrounding region of the N coast of Rodos, which is rather disturbed by agriculture, tourism and urban sprawl, is also a possible source of introduction. On the other hand, the growth site itself, a reed stand, looks rather undisturbed and fits well with the habitats mentioned in literature for the Mediterranean occurrence of Vigna luteola (“by rivers and ditches”, Zohary 1972; “hedges by ditches and swampy places”, Post 1932; slopes, but also terraces and the littoral especially of canals of the Nile delta, Shaltout & al. 1994). Many of the above-mentioned populations of Egypt and SW Asia appear to be associated with ancient settlements (see, e.g., Forsskal 1234 in C, collected 1761 in Rashid [Rosetta] in the Nile delta, https://plants.jstor.org/stable/10.5555/al.ap.specimen.c10002194). Recently, Frumin & al. (2015) discussed the connection of V. luteola in Israel to the ancient settlements of the enigmatic Philistine people of the late iron-age, who are said to have originated in the Aegean area. Though our discovery site near Paradisi is not far from the important ancient settlement of Ialyssos, such a connection for Rodos needs further investigation.

M. Ristow, J. Krause, V. Kummer, F. Sasse & I. Sasse

Figures

Fig. 5. Vigna luteola – A: flowering branch; B: fruiting branch. – A: Greece, East Aegean Islands, Rodos, Paradisi, 19 Oct 2021, photograph by I. Sasse; B: ibid., 5 Jul 2021, photograph by J. Krause.