Vines annual. Stems climbing or trailing. Leaves: stipules 3–5 mm; petiole (3–)6–20 cm, pubescent; terminal leaflet blade rhombic-ovate, (5–)9–22 cm, base rounded, lateral blade base oblique, apex acuminate to cuspidate, surfaces strigose abaxially, sparsely pubescent adaxially. Inflorescences racemes. Pedicels 0.5–1.1 cm, pubescent. Flowers: calyx 12–15 mm, abaxial lip 3-lobed, adaxial lip broad, acuminate; corolla white to dark purple, 30–40 mm. Legumes 5–9 × 0.7–1.7 cm, velutinous, irritating hairs present or absent, longitudinal ridges obscure to prominent, transverse ridges absent. Seeds (1–)3–6, black-brown to white with dark mottling, spherical to oblong; hilum cream or black, to 1/4 circumference of seed, elevated. 2n = 22.

Phenology: Flowering summer–fall.
Habitat: Pastures, waste areas, old fields, pinelands.
Elevation: 0–100 m.

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

Introduced; Ala., Fla., N.C., S.C., Asia, introduced also in Mexico, West Indies, Central America, South America, Africa, Australia.

Discussion

Mucuna pruriens is introduced and widely cultivated in tropical areas; it is used for many herbal remedies worldwide and extracts from the seeds are sold as dietary supplements. The seeds contain L-DOPA, a precursor to the neurotransmitter dopamine. The species is being investigated as an alternative treatment for Parkinson’s Disease (M. Daniels 2006).

In addition to its medicinal properties, Mucuna pruriens is used in agriculture as a cover crop and as forage for domesticated animals (E. C. Rich and A. A. Teixeira 2005).

The hairs covering the seed pods can be very irritating and have been used in so-called itching powder (W. Shelly and R. P. Arthur 1955).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.