NAME: Calopogonium mucunoides

FAMILY: Fabaceae

COMMON NAMES: calopo, wild ground nut, crab grass

LOCAL NAMES: Apalofa, Agbiri

MORPHOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION: Calopogonium mucunoides is vigorous, hairy annual or short-lived creeping, twining or trailing, herb, up to several metres long, forming a tangled mass of foliage 30-50 cm thick, with densely pilose stems with long rust-coloured hairs.

USEFUL PART(s): seed and leaves

GENERAL USES:

It is an important cover crop for plantation crops
Green manure to protect the soil surface
Weed controller

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION

Tropical Americas and the West Indies, Indonesia and Malaysia

WHY IS IT GREEN?

Diarrhoea,
Skin infection.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Does not contain toxic factors.
Weed potential

FURTHER READING

Dinesh, R., Suryanarayana, M. A., Ghoshal Chaudhuri, S., & Sheeja, T. E. (2004). Long-term influence of leguminous cover crops on the biochemical properties of a sandy clay loam Fluventic Sulfaquent in a humid tropical region of India. Soil and Tillage Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2003.11.001

HIDAYATI, N. (2006). Potency of Centrocema pubescence, Calopogonium mucunoides, and Micania cordata for cleaning metal contaminants of gold mines waste. Biodiversitas, Journal of Biological Diversity. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d070102

Leuner, O., Havlik, J., Hummelova, J., Prokudina, E., Novy, P., & Kokoska, L. (2013). Distribution of isoflavones and coumestrol in neglected tropical and subtropical legumes. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.5835

Ribeiro, R. C., Feitoza, R. B. B., Lima, H. R. P., & Geraldo De Carvalho, M. (2015). Phytotoxic effects of phenolic compounds on Calopogonium mucunoides (Fabaceae) roots. Australian Journal of Botany. https://doi.org/10.1071/BT15097