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Centrosema pubescens

Piriarero (MT)

Centro Butterfly-Pea

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Centro Butterfly-Pea, Centro Vine, Centrosema Vine

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Bluebell (MG AT), Kūtū (MK), Piriarero (MT)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE tropical America

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; Land, lowlands

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Medicine, Cover; Weed - serious

KEY FEATURES: Sprawling or climbing vine with thin fine-furred stems. LEAVES alternate, compound, usually 3 leaflets. LFTS oval, 8x4cm. FLOWERS axillary, small cluster with one open. FL showy, to 4cmØ, purple to very pale purple, with central keel and wide lateral (=wing) petals. FR pod, 15cmx5mm, thick green edges, depressed centre forming pale stripe, terminal spine, splits when ripe. SEEDS ~20, 5x3x2mm, red-borwn with black streaks.

Enlarged Image of 'Centrosema pubescens'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

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

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Centrosema pubescens Benth.
SYNONYMS: Centrosema molle [J.Space on invasives]

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

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Medicine, Cover
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Weed - serious. Comments: An increasingly widespread vine in waste and fallow areas. Climbs vigorously on fenses and other plants. Considered to be one of the major weeds of Mangaia, where it is especially abundant and widespread.

GENERAL NOTE: Fiji cover crop and fodder (ACSmith).

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.3/232 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM03b, zD02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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