Perennial with prostrate or twining stems to several meters long.
Weed Category:
Weed:
No
Form or habit:
Vine (Climbing, Twining or groundcover)
Family:
Fabaceae
Leaf:
Trifoliate leaves, 2.5-9.5 x 2-7.3cm, somewhat rounded, sparse cover of short hairs above and below.
Flower conspicuous:
Conspicuous
Flower colour:
Yellow
Flower description:
Axillary racemes of yellow pea flowers. Late summer to mid spring.
Fruit conspicuous:
Conspicuous
Fruit colour:
Black
Fruit:
Fruit description:
Pods, black when ripe, 3.5-6 x 0.7-0.9cm, straight or slightly curved, plump with slight constriction between the seeds. May to October.
Habitat:
Beach strand, coastal dune.
Distribution
Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Territory, New Guinea, Melanesia, Malesia, Asia, Pacific Islands.
Food source for:
Larval food plant of the moth Neocleptria punctifera.
Toxicity:
No toxicity known
Origin:
Australia, New Guinea, Melanesia, Malesia, Asia, Pacific Islands.
Notes:
Aborigines ate the roots roasted. In southeast Asia the young leaves were cooked and eaten. In the Pacific Islands it is sometimes used as livestock fodder and is widely used in medicines.
Information sources:
Melzer R. & Plumb J. (2007) Plants of Capricornia.
