Vigna marina (Burm.) Merr.

  • Authority

    Acevedo-Rodríguez, Pedro. 2005. Vines and climbing plants of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 51: 1-483.

  • Family

    Fabaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Vigna marina (Burm.) Merr.

  • Description

    Description - Herbaceous vine, creeping, twining, attaining 2 m or more in length. Stems slender, cylindrical, striate, pubescent, glabrous when mature. Leaves alternate, trifoliolate; leaflets slightly fleshy, obovate, elliptical, or almost rounded, 2.5-7 x 1.5-4 cm; upper surface appressed-pubescent or glabrous; lower surface appressed-pubescent or glabrous, the venation prominent, the apex obtuse or rounded, the base cuneate or rounded, slightly asymmetrical on the lateral leaflets, the margins entire; petiolules 1-2 mm long, glabrous or sericeous; rachis ca. 11 mm long, sulcate, glabrescent; petioles ca. 3 cm long, sulcate, glabrescent; stipels oblong, ca. 1 mm long; stipules lanceolate, 2-3 mm long, truncate at the base. Pseudoracemes axillary, 6-8(20) cm long, the flowers few per node, which are found in the distal 1/2 or 1/3 of the inflorescence; pedicels ca. 4 mm long. Calyx green, campanulate, ca. 4 mm long, the sepals unequal, ciliate. Corolla yellow; standard obovate, ca.1.5 cm long, emarginate at the apex; the wings and the keel as long as the standard. Legume almost cylindrical, with the margins slightly sinuate between the seeds, 5-6 cm long, ca. 5 mm wide, glabrous, blackish on drying. Seeds rectangular, ca. 4.5 mm long, black, shiny.

    Phenology - Collected in fruit in March.

    Conservation Status - Native, very rare.

  • Discussion

    The application of the name V. marina is rather confused, and needs an explanatory note, this epithet was originally published by Burman based on the work of Rumphius (Index Alt. Herb. Amboin. 5: 391, tab. 141 fig. 2, 1750). As a result, the name Vigna marina is typified by the illustration presented in that work. Nevertheless, the examination of this illustration reveals that in reality it represents the species that today bears the name V. luteola. Due to the code of nomenclature's principle of priority, the name V. luteola should be replaced with V. marina. Nevertheless, the name Vigna luteola could be maintained if the name V. marina was conserved with a different type, so as to preserve the traditional use of both names. In this treatment 1 use the traditional nomenclature in anticipation of a proposal to conserve the name V. marina with a different type. As a result, V. retusa becomes a synonym of V. marina.