Siratro
Macroptilium atropurpureum, Fam. Fabaceae
A slender twining or prostrate perennial vine with rough hairy stems to several metres; sometimes rooting from prostrate stems and often covering large areas.
| Weed Category: |
Other invasive plants Invasive plants that are not prohibited or restricted invasive plants, but are known to spread readily and cause negative impacts, within the region.
|
| Weed: | Yes |
| Form or habit: | Vine (Climbing, Twining or groundcover) |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Leaf: | Compound Alternate Compound, alternate pinnate with 3 leaflets, terminal leaflet ovate, 20-85 x 18-50mm, lateral leaflets similar in size but usually with 1-2 lobes on lower margin, apex pointed, base rounded to heart-shaped, dark green sparsely hairy above, dense silky white hairs below. Stipules triangular, 2-5mm long. |
| Flower conspicuous: | Conspicuous |
| Flower colour: |
Purple |
| Flower description: | Showy, dark purple to almost black pea-flowers, 6-12 crowded toward the tip of long axillary racemes. |
| Fruit conspicuous: | Conspicuous |
| Fruit colour: |
Brown |
| Fruit: | Dry |
| Fruit description: | Straight narrow minutely hairy pods, 50-100 x 3–5mm, dark brown when mature contain about 12-15 seeds. Seeds plump more-or-less kidney shaped, brown flecked with black, 3-4 x 2-3mm. |
| Habitat: | |
| Distribution | |
| Food source for: | |
| Toxicity: | No toxicity known |
| Origin: | Tropical America |
| Notes: | Spread by: vegetatively; seeds dispersed by water and in contaminated soil. Invades/threats: cropland; creek banks and woodland where it smothers young trees. Notes: siratro, a bred cultivar, was released as a pasture legume in the 1960’s and is now widely naturalised. Environmental weed. |
| Information sources: | Mackay Regional Pest Management Group (2018) Weeds of the Mackay Whitsunday Region Second Edition. |
