Calapo
Calopogonium mucunoides
Family: Fabaceae
What it is like
A trailing or twining herb. It grows to several metres long. The stems are covered with long spreading rusty hairs. The leaflets are oval and 1.5-16 cm long by 1.3-11.5 cm wide. They are rounded at the base and ending abruptly in a small tip at the top. The side leaflets are slanting at an angle, and hairy on both sides. The leaf stalk is 2-16 cm long. The flower arrangements are 1-10 cm long, on stalks 0-17 cm long. These stalks have rusty hairs. There are 6 flowers in a cluster but these are well separated. The largest petal is violet or blue. The fruit are long and narrow and 2-4.5 cm long by 3.5-5 mm wide. These pods can be straight or curved. They have rusty hairs and 5-8 seeds. The seeds are dark brown and almost square. They are 2.5-3.7 cm long by 2.5-3 mm wide. The seed scar is round, and in the centre.
There are 8 Calopogonium species.
Where it is found
It is a tropical plant. It grows from sea level to 550 m altitude in the tropics near the equator. It commonly becomes self sown on waste land. It suits hot, humid, tropical conditions with rainfall over 1500 mm per year. It cannot grow in shade. In Yunnan.
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, American Samoa, Asia, Australia, Burkina Faso, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Central America, China, Dominican Republic, East Africa, Fiji, Guiana, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Mozambique, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Sierra Leone, South America (country/location of origin), Suriname, Taiwan, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies
How it is used for food
It is not know if it is used for food in Papua New Guinea.
Edible parts
Leaves
How it is grown
Plants can be grown from seed. Seed are produced in large numbers and seed often germinate in the pods.
Its other names
Local names
Lamdau long