General Information

COMMON NAMES: Soybean, Soya Bean, Soja Bean GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Asia (a cultigen) COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Not naturalised; S.Group (RR - rare, sporadic); Land, lowlands, gardens SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Seeds (1+) KEY FEATURES: Annual, erect, bushy herb to 2m. STEMS brown hairs. LEAVES compound, 3 leaflets; LEAFLETS oval, 10x6cm, hairy. FLOWERS on axillary spike to 5cm, 1-10 flowers; pea-like, inconspicuous, petals white to pink or lilac. FRUITS hairy, slender pod, to 8x1cm. SEEDS 2-4, round or flattened, to 10mm; greenish-yellow to black, 10x8mm.

Cook Islands Distribution

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Southern Group: Present    Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
+?X						-	-	-

Northern Group: -
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-	-	-	-	-	-

Glycine max Linnaeus
SYNONYMS: Phaseolus max; Glycine soja; Glycine hispida

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ROSIDAE; Fabales (Legumes); FABACEAE

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Seeds (1+). Comments: Soybean is a very important food crop elsewhere. It is only sporadically grown in the Cook Islands.

GENERAL NOTE: The soybean or soyabean has been in cultivation in China since at least 1700BC, and now has more than 1,000 varieties. The present species (Glycine max) is thought to be a cultivated plant derived from a native plant (Glycine soja).

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.456 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.515 Hortus 3rd
p.520 Royal Hort. Soc. Index of Garden Plants
p.3/229 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB03b, zM03b, zD03b

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