PUERARIA DC.

Por Amy Pool

Pueraria phaseoloides (Roxb.) Benth., J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 9: 125. 1867; Dolichos phaseoloides Roxb.

Hierbas perennes, trepadoras o rastreras. Hojas pinnadamente 3-folioladas; folíolos obovoides a rómbicos, los folíolos laterales oblicuamente así, 3.5–17.5 cm de largo y 2.5–16 cm de ancho, ápice agudo (obtuso), mucronulado, entero o más o menos lobado, densamente seríceos abaxialmente, estipelas lanceoladas a setáceas; estípulas triangulares a ovadas. Inflorescencia un pseudoracimo alargado, axilar, 15–36 cm de largo, pubescente, los ejes no ramificados, nodulosos, floreciendo arriba de la mitad, brácteas caducas, bractéolas 2 por flor; tubo del cáliz campanulado, 3–5 mm de largo, 5-dentado, los 2 dientes superiores (1/2–) casi completamente connados, el diente inferior el más largo, 3–6 mm de largo; pétalos mayormente azules, a menudo marcados con otros colores, estandarte obovado, 10–23 mm de largo, con 2 aurículas largas por encima de la base unguiculada, alas libres, basalmente auriculadas y unguiculadas, pétalos de la quilla adnados ventralmente cerca del ápice; estambres 10, diadelfos, el vexilar libre; estilo glabro. Legumbres alargadas, teretes o algo aplanadas, 5.5–12.5 cm de largo y 3–5 mm de ancho, márgenes continuos, dehiscentes, valvas enrolladas al madurar, con septas papiráceas por dentro; semillas 10–20, cilíndricas o redondeadas, 2.5–4.5 mm de largo.

Conocida en Nicaragua por una sola colección ( Moreno 23428 ) de pluvioselvas, Río San Juan; 50 m; fl feb; nativa de Asia, introducida en Africa y los neotrópicos. La variedad que se encuentra en Nicaragua es P. phaseoloides var. javanica (Benth.) Baker. Género asiático con 17 especies, 2 de las cuales fueron introducidas y distribuidas ampliamente en áreas cálidas a tropicales tanto del Nuevo como del Viejo Mundo.

L.J.G. van der Maesen. Revision of the genus Pueraria DC. with some notes on Teyleria Backer (Leguminosae). Agric. Univ. Wageningen Pap. 85(1): 1–132. 1985.

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Twining herbs or shrubs. Roots sometimes tuberous. Stipules sometimes produced below point of insertion. Leaves pinnately 3-foliolate; leaflets large, stipellate, ovate or rhomboid, entire or sinuately lobed. Inflorescences axillary, racemose or paniculate with an elongated peduncle, or several racemes aggregated at tip of branchlets. Bracts usually small or narrow, very caducous; bracteoles small, subpersistent or minute and caducous. Flowers blue or purplish, usually several flowers clustered at each node of rachis. Calyx campanulate, 2 upper teeth connate into entire or bifid lip. Corolla exceeding calyx; standard with 2 inflexed auricles; wings nar­rowly oblong or obovate-falcate, often adherent to middle of keel; keel sometimes beaked, subequal to wings. Vexillary stamen free at base, connate in middle with others, rarely quite free; anthers uniform. Ovary subsessile, many ovuled; style filiform, inflexed above; stigma small, capitate. Legumes linear or cylindric, continuous within or filled or septate between seeds. Seeds compressed, suborbicular or transversely oblong.

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Robust scrambling vines, sometimes high climbing, ?shrubs; stems herba- ceous or woody, pubescent. Leaves pinnate trifoliolate, the leaflets large, entire, lobed or undulate margined; stipels mostly present, the stipules ovate to linear, often produced below the enlarged point of insertion, the lower element some- times bifid. Inflorescences elongate stout racemes, sometimes branched, the flow- ers somewhat clustered at the end of the rachis; bracts often caducous, bracteoles ovate; pedicels inserted 1-7 at a node. Flowers sometimes appearing before the leaves; calyx campanulate, 5-toothed, the upper pair free or fused into a lip; corolla mostly bluish, pinkish or violet; standard broad, entire or emarginate, minutely spurred, the wings spurred; stamens 10, the vexillary stamen free or united to the others, usually at the middle of the filament, the anthers all alike; ovary pubescent, the style curved or abruptly bent, glabrous, the stigma glabrous. Legume oblong, compressed, usually pilose.

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"Cal 4-lobed through fusion of the upper 2, the lowest lobe the longest, the two lateral ones the shortest, all exceeding the tube; standard round-obovate; keel-pet narrowly oblong, nearly straight, auriculate at base; stamens 10, the uppermost one coherent with the others only near the middle; style elongate, glabrous; fr flat, several-seeded, hirsute; tall, woody or half-woody twiners with ovate stipules, large, pinnately trifoliolate lvs, and reddish-purple fls in dense axillary racemes or panicles. 12, e. Asia."

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Seeds small, oblong, subglobose or almost cylindrical, oftenminutely shagreened; hilum small, central, oblong-elliptic; rim-aril absent, but a small cartilaginous remnant of the funicle often present.

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Calyx 5-lobed or appearing 4-lobed, the upper pair of lobes joined to form an entire or bifid lip

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Leaves large, pinnately 3-foliolate, the leaflets entire or sinuately lobed; stipules present, sometimes produced below the point of insertion; stipels present

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Inflorescences axillary, falsely racemose or paniculate, sometimes very long, the flowers often aggregated on nodose reduced side branches along the rhachis; bracts present, mostly small and soon falling; bracteoles present, sub-persistent or deciduous

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Robust climbers or trailers, the roots sometimes tuberous

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Corolla small or medium-sized, mostly blue or purplish; standard rounded, with basal and mostly very marked inflexed auricles, but without appendages

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Vexillary filament usually joined to the tube but sometimes free; anthers uniform

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Ovary linear, many-ovuled, narrowed above; style curved, scarcely stiffened, widest at the base just above the narrowing of the ovary, gradually becoming filiform towards the apex; stigma terminal, minute, capitate, sometimes with some minute hairs

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Pods long and linear, compressed, many-seeded, pubescent

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vines

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