Changes

In tropical America ''Vigna adenantha'' provides a good forage containing 17.4% crude protein and 0.18% P.

Perennial climbing herb up to 4 m long, with tuberous roots; stem twining, glabrous or sparsely hairy, rooting at the lower nodes. Leaves alternate, 3-foliolate; stipules oblong-ovate, 3–6 mm long, base slightly cordate, apex acute, conspicuously veined; petiole 1–14 cm long, rachis 0.5–2 cm long; petiolules 3–4 mm long, hairy; leaflets ovate to rhombic, lateral ones slightly asymmetric, (2.5–)5–10(–14) cm × (1.5–)2.5–6.5(–8) cm, base rounded or truncate, apex obtuse to acute, sparsely appressed-hairy on both sides, venation reticulate. Inflorescence an axillary false raceme 5–30 cm long, 6–12-flowered; peduncle up to 25 cm long, rachis 2–7 cm long. Flowers bisexual, papilionaceous; pedicel 2–3 mm long, with ovate-oblong bracteoles 3–4 mm × 2 mm; calyx with tube 3–4 mm long, the 3 lower lobes falcate or narrowly oblong, 3–5 mm long, the upper pair fused into a short, bifid lip, sparsely pubescent; corolla with almost circular standard, 1–2.5 cm × 2–2.5 cm, rose or white with green veins and a green basal eye surrounded by violet-purple inside, wings c. 3 cm long, white-tinged violet, green and yellow at the base, keel c. 5 cm long, with a long beak, spirally incurved for about 3 turns, white to violet-blue; stamens 10, 9 fused but upper one free; ovary superior, appressed-hairy, style slender, strongly curved. Fruit an oblong pod 7–15 cm × 0.5–1.5 cm, slightly curved, flattened, glabrous or slightly hairy, 9–15-seeded. Seeds reniform, 5.5–7.5 mm × 4.5–6 mm × 2.5–5 mm, dark reddish brown; hilum central, small, white.