Caesalpinia bonduc (L.) Roxb.
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Authority
Isley, Duane. 1975. Leguminosae of the United States: II. Subfamily Caesalpinioideae. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 25 (2): 1-228.
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Family
Caesalpiniaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Robust, reclining or scrambling, puberulent and armed, frutescent or herbaceous vine. Stems 1-6 m and to 1 cm diam, often reclining on other vegetation, abundantly armed with straight prickles to unarmed. Leafstalk to 4 dm with recurved, usually paired prickles; pinnae 4-5 pairs, 4-12 cm, usually with recurved prickles; leaflets 4-8 pairs, shortly petiolulate, ovate to elliptic, symmetric, 2-4(-6) cm, 1.5-2 r, mucronate, glabrate or puberulent along veins. Stipules usually persistent and conspicuous (lost on older growth), 1-2 cm, foliaceous, resembling reduced or incised leaflets. Flowers perfect or staminate, in glutinous-puberulent, intercalary, simple or compound racemes to 2 dm, crowded in bud. Bracts initially conspicuous, recurved; pedicels 4-6 mm; sepals pubescent; imbricate, the outer slightly cucullate, 5-8 mm; petals orange-yellow, broadly oblong, 7-10 mm; stamens approximating or shorter than petals. Legume tardily dehiscent, suborbicular to oval, compressed, 3-9 cm diam or long, densely prickly. Seeds 1-3, gray, 1.5-2 cm diam.
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Discussion
Caesalpinia crista auct. Guilandina crista (L.) Small (1903), excl. basionym CN 2n = 24 (Atchison, 1951); n = 12 (Pantulu, 1942; as C. bonducella). Although Caesalpinia bonduc is basically (or originally) a coastal maritime species, I have seen it most frequently as a tangle-forming weed in roadside ditches and forming thickets on vacant lots. It is much more abundant than the similar C. major, possibly because it is able to invade ruderal habitats. The seeds of Caesalpinia bonduc like those of C. major are used in jewelry (necklaces, bracelets) and with those of C. crista find miscellaneous medical use in the tropics (Uphof, 1968). They are among the “sea beans” stranded on shores and gathered by beachcombers. Obviously capable of long distance transport by ocean currents (Gunn, 1968; Dennis and Gunn, 1972), and presumably viable after 3-12 months at sea, they may afford a facile explanation of the circumtropical dispersal of the species.
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Distribution
Coastal Peninsular Florida. Coastal or lucustrine sands, hammocks, with mangroves; slightly inland in disturbed and ruderal urban or rural areas; locally conspicuous. (May-)Aug.-Dec. Gray-nicker. Said to be native of Old World tropics but probably pantropical, widely distributed near ocean in warm regions and tropics.