Fabaceae

Cajanus Adans.

First published in Fam. Pl. 2: 326, 529 (1763), nom. cons.
This genus is accepted
The native range of this genus is Tropical & Subtropical Old World to N. Australia.

Descriptions

Legumes of the World. Edited by G. Lewis, B. Schrire, B. MacKinder & M. Lock. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. (2005)

Vernacular
pigeon pea, gungo pea
Habit
Herbs or shrubs
Ecology
Seasonally dry tropical open forest to grassland, often in rocky or partly disturbed areas
Distribution
SE Asia (Indian subcontinent, China, E Asia, Indo-China, Malesia, Papuasia, Pacific; 16 spp.), N Australia (15 spp.), W (Sudanian) Africa (1 sp.); 2 spp. widespread in Old World, including C. cajan (L.) Huth
Note
The subtribe Cajaninae forms a basal polytomy with a largely Phaseolinae, Glycininae and Psoraleeae clade (Doyle et al., 2000; Kajita et al., 2001) or is sister to a combined Erythrininae, Kennediinae, Desmodieae, Phaseolinae, Glycininae [and Psoraleeae] clade (Bruneau et al., 1995); Verdcourt in Mackinder et al. (2001: 163) states that in later editions of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (e.g., Greuter et al., 2000), Cajanus is treated as an orthographic variant of Cajan, and the conserved spelling is attributed to Adanson; this is not accepted here; Verdcourt (pers. comm.) has recently corrected the authority of Cajanus cajan from the widely used C. cajan (L.) Millsp., to C. cajan (L.) Huth
[LOWO]

Leguminosae, J. B. Gillett, R. M. Polhill & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1971

Morphology General Habit
Shrubs or subshrubs
Morphology Leaves
Leaves pinnately 3-foliolate, petiolate; leaflets covered with small yellow glands; stipules and stipels very small
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a terminal panicle together with numerous subcapitate axillary racemes; pedicels long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 5-lobed; lobes subequal, the upper pair joined
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard more or less round, auriculate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Vexillary stamen free; anthers uniform
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary elongate, 4–6-ovuled, velvety hairy; style thickened above, flattened below the small capitate stigma
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod linear-oblong, inflated, with a long persistent acumen, 3–7-seeded, with the seeds separated by oblique grooves on the pod faces
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds rounded, compressed, with a linear hilum and small rim-aril.
[FTEA]

Leguminosae, B. Mackinder, R. Pasquet, R. Polhill & B. Verdcourt. Flora Zambesiaca 3:5. 2001

Morphology General Habit
Shrubs or subshrubs, climbers or prostrate herbs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves pinnately, rarely subdigitately, 3-foliolate, petiolate; leaflets covered with small yellow glands beneath; stipules and stipels very small, or stipels absent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a terminal panicle together with numerous subcapitate axillary racemes, or all axillary or flowers fasciculate; pedicels long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 5-lobed; lobes subequal, the upper pair joined to form a bifid lip.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard ± round, auriculate. Corolla yellow, persistent or deciduous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Vexillary stamen free; anthers uniform.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary elongate, 3–8-ovuled, velvety hairy; style filiform or thickened above, flattened below the small capitate stigma.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod linear-oblong to oblong, inflated or compressed, with a long persistent acumen, 3–7-seeded, with the seeds separated by oblique grooves on the pod faces.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds rounded or ovoid, compressed, with a hilum central on shorter side of seed, often linear with well developed or small rim aril.
[FZ]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Shrubs, subshrubs or climbers
Morphology Leaves
Leaves mostly pinnately 3-foliolate; leaflets with small yellow glands
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers in terminal or axillary racemes
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 5-lobed; lobes subequal, the upper pair joined
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Vexillary stamen free; anthers uniform
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary 3–10-ovuled; style thickened above, flattened below the small capitate stigma
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod linear-oblong, obliquely grooved between the seeds.
Distribution
Thirty-four species (incl. Atylosia Wight & Arn.), the majority in India and Australia, one widely cultivated.
[FSOM]

Leguminosae, J. B. Gillett, R. M. Polhill & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1971

Morphology General Habit
Herbs or shrubs, erect or climbing
Morphology Leaves
Leaves pinnately, rarely subdigitately, 3-foliolate; leaflets with scattered resinous glands beneath; stipules small; stipels absent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences axillary, racemose or subpaniculate or flowers fasciculate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 5-lobed; lobes unequal, the upper pair joined to form a ± bifid lip
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla small to medium-sized, yellow, persistent; standard round, with inflexed auricles
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Vexillary stamen free; anthers uniform
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary 3–8-ovuled; style incurved at the middle, filiform or slightly thickened and glabrous above; stigma small, terminal
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods oblong or linear, compressed, septate and transversely furrowed between the seeds
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds rounded or ovoid; hilum central on shorter side of seed, with a well-developed aril.
[FTEA]

Uses

Use
Used for human food as a major pulse or vegetable crop ( pigeon pea or gungo pea ), otherwise used as pasture legumes, forage, green manure, cover crops and in medicine; C. cajan is widely cultivated in the Old and New World tropics
[LOWO]

Sources

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Legumes of the World Online

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • World Checklist of Vascular plants (WCVP)

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0