Pueraria DC.

Legumes of the World. Edited by G. Lewis, B. Schrire, B. MacKinder & M. Lock. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. (2005)

Vernacular

kudzu vine

Habit

Lianas, shrubs or climbing herbs, usually with large tuberous roots

Ecology

Seasonally dry tropical and subtropical forest, rain forest, forest margins and scrub vegetation, often on open limestone and in rocky areas

Distribution

Asia (lowland to montane Indian subcontinent, Indo-China, SW China, Malesia, Papuasia, Pacific); the Kudzu vine (P. montana (Lour.) Merr. var. lobata (Willd.) Maesen & S.M.Almeida) widespread to temperate E Asia, Australia and introduced into Africa and SE USA; tropical Kudzu (P. phaseoloides (Roxb.) Benth.) is widely introduced in Africa and the Neotropics

Note

Placed in subtribe Glycininae; Lee & Hymowitz (2001) show Pueraria to be polyphyletic, with species of the non-typical sections Breviramulae and Schizophyllon being basally branching to those of the typical section Pueraria; Doyle et al. (2003) resolve a Pueraria-Pseudovigna clade sister to an Amphicarpaea-Glycine clade, with Dumasia being sister to both these clades

Previous accounts of the Phaseoleae by Baudet (1978) and Lackey (1981) recognised 90 and 84 genera and c. 1540 and 1480 species respectively in the tribe. In an equivalent, i.e. traditionally held view of Phaseoleae, 89 genera and (1554)–1567–(1580) species are treated here (Table 9; Fig. 47). Changes between Baudet (1978) and this treatment are that eleven genera are now in synonymy or have subsequently been placed in Millettieae, two genera have been transferred from Desmodieae and eight new genera have been added. Vigna has traditionally been thought to comprise some 150–200 species, but Vigna sens. strict. may contain fewer than 100.

Recent molecular analyses of the tribe, however, have emphasised both the polyphyletic and paraphyletic nature of Phaseoleae as traditionally circumscribed (Bruneau & Doyle, 1990; Doyle & Doyle, 1993; Delgado Salinas et al., 1993; Bruneau et al., 1995; Doyle et al., 1997, 2000; Kajita et al., 2001; Goel et al., 2001; Lee & Hymowitz, 2001). This has required a radical realignment of elements of the phaseoloids (Table 9; Fig. 47), with at least two major clades being evident: Phaseoleae subtribes Diocleinae and Ophrestiinae which together with tribe Abreae are allied to the core-Millettieae (Fig. 45), and the remaining groups comprising a Phaseoleae sens. lat. clade. The rbcL phylogeny of Kajita et al. (2001) and the ITS analysis of Hu et al. (2002) are equivocal as to which clade subtribe Clitoriinae belongs. Phaseoleae sens. lat. also includes two traditionally independent tribes, the Desmodieae and Psoraleeae. Delimiting a recircumscribed Phaseoleae sens. strict is thus very problematic. A solution may be to recognise a broad tribe Phaseoleae, comprising the subtribes Kennediinae, Cajaninae, Phaseolinae and Glycininae, assorted basally branching genera, and tribes Desmodieae and Psoraleeae (both treated at subtribal level).

Leguminosae, J. B. Gillett, R. M. Polhill & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1971

Morphology General Habit

Perennial twining or procumbent herbs or in the case of G. max (L.) Merrill an annual erect herb

Morphology Leaves

Leaves pinnately or, in 3 Australian species, digitately 3-foliolate; stipules small, deciduous; stipels present

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences racemose or falsely racemose, axillary, the flowers sometimes fascicled along the rhachis, more rarely terminal and paniculate, or flowers solitary or in sessile axillary fascicles

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers small, white to blue or purplish

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 5-lobed, somewhat 2-lipped; the upper pair of lobes joined, often almost for their entire length

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Standard obovate, rhomboid or round, slightly auriculate at the base, glabrous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Vexillary stamen joined to others or sometimes becoming free with age; anthers uniform

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Ovary several-many-ovuled; style short, slender but not filiform, slightly incurved; stigma small, terminal, capitate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pod linear or oblong, subcylindrical or compressed, straight or falcate, ± thinly septate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds ovoid-oblong or subglobose; hilum short, lateral, with a small scale-like aril.

Legumes of the World. Edited by G. Lewis, B. Schrire, B. MacKinder & M. Lock. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. (2005)

Note

Previous accounts of the Phaseoleae by Baudet (1978) and Lackey (1981) recognised 90 and 84 genera and c. 1540 and 1480 species respectively in the tribe. In an equivalent, i.e. traditionally held view of Phaseoleae, 89 genera and (1554)–1567–(1580) species are treated here (Table 9; Fig. 47). Changes between Baudet (1978) and this treatment are that eleven genera are now in synonymy or have subsequently been placed in Millettieae, two genera have been transferred from Desmodieae and eight new genera have been added. Vigna has traditionally been thought to comprise some 150–200 species, but Vigna sens. strict. may contain fewer than 100.

Recent molecular analyses of the tribe, however, have emphasised both the polyphyletic and paraphyletic nature of Phaseoleae as traditionally circumscribed (Bruneau & Doyle, 1990; Doyle & Doyle, 1993; Delgado Salinas et al., 1993; Bruneau et al., 1995; Doyle et al., 1997, 2000; Kajita et al., 2001; Goel et al., 2001; Lee & Hymowitz, 2001). This has required a radical realignment of elements of the phaseoloids (Table 9; Fig. 47), with at least two major clades being evident: Phaseoleae subtribes Diocleinae and Ophrestiinae which together with tribe Abreae are allied to the core-Millettieae (Fig. 45), and the remaining groups comprising a Phaseoleae sens. lat. clade. The rbcL phylogeny of Kajita et al. (2001) and the ITS analysis of Hu et al. (2002) are equivocal as to which clade subtribe Clitoriinae belongs. Phaseoleae sens. lat. also includes two traditionally independent tribes, the Desmodieae and Psoraleeae. Delimiting a recircumscribed Phaseoleae sens. strict is thus very problematic. A solution may be to recognise a broad tribe Phaseoleae, comprising the subtribes Kennediinae, Cajaninae, Phaseolinae and Glycininae, assorted basally branching genera, and tribes Desmodieae and Psoraleeae (both treated at subtribal level).

Glycine has had a convoluted taxonomic history; see also under Neonotonia

Vernacular

soyabean

Habit

Twining herbs

Ecology

Seasonally dry tropical to warm temperate open woodland, thicket, wooded grassland, clearings, riverbanks and dry hillsides

Distribution

principally Australia (16 spp.), 2 of which widespread to Pacific Islands, Taiwan, Japan and S China; 2 spp. endemic to China, Taiwan, G. max (L.) Merr. (soyabean; soybean) from E Russia, Korea, China and Japan but widely cultivated