Canavalia

  • Authority

    Acevedo-Rodríguez, Pedro & collaborators. 1996. Flora of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 78: 1-581.

  • Family

    Fabaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Canavalia

  • Description

    Genus Description - Woody to herbaceous twining or trailing vines. Leaves trifoliolate; stipules minute, deciduous. Flowers in axillary or terminal pseudoracemes; bracts 2 per flower, deciduous; pedicels borne on swollen nodes; calyx bell-shaped, with 5 minute, unequal sepals, 2 larger; corolla pink, purple, or violet, the standard obovate, clawed, auriculate at base, reflexed, thickened at base along midvein, the wings and keel of similar size; stamens 10, monadelphous; ovary sessile or stipitate, pubescent, the style filiform, the stigma capitate. Legume elongate and flattened or slightly inflated, longitudinally keeled along both sutures and on the ventral side, dehiscent or indehiscent; seeds 3 to many, usually bean-shaped.

  • Distribution

    A genus of 50 species, most of which are native to the New World.

    Saint John Virgin Islands of the United States South America|