Stylosanthes guianensis explained

Stylosanthes guianensis, the stylo, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is native to the New World Tropics and Subtropics, and has been introduced to Puerto Rico, the Windward Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, most of SubSaharan Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion, Rodrigues, the Indian Subcontinent, Sri Lanka, Thailand, southeast China, Hainan, Taiwan, New Guinea, Queensland, New Caledonia, and the Cook Islands.^{[1] [2]} An important forage and fodder species, its palatability to livestock increases as the plant matures, making it an unusual, and valuable, deferred feed.^[1] It has high genetic diversity between and among its named varieties.^[3]

Subtaxa

The following subtaxa are accepted:^[2]

• Stylosanthes guianensis subsp. dissitiflora (B.L.Rob. & Seaton) Mohlenbr. – Mexico, Honduras
• Stylosanthes guianensis var. gracilis (Kunth) Vogel – Guatemala to Argentina, and a few introductions in Africa
• Stylosanthes guianensis subsp. guianensis – Entire range, also the most introduced subtaxon
• Stylosanthes guianensis var. pauciflora M.B.Ferreira & Sousa Costa – Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil

Notes and References

1. Web site: Stylo (Stylosanthes guianensis) . Heuzé . V. . Tran . G. . Boudon . A. . Labussière . E. . Bastianelli . D. . Lebas . F. . 15 December 2017 . Feedipedia – Animal Feed Resources Information System . Feedipedia, a programme by INRAE, CIRAD, AFZ and FAO . 9 June 2021 . Common names; ... Brazilian stylo, Brazilian lucerne, common stylo.
2. Web site: Stylosanthes guianensis (Aubl.) Sw. . . Plants of the World Online . Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . 9 June 2021 .
3. Identification of Stylosanthes guianensis varieties using molecular genetic analysis . 2012 . Santos-Garcia . M. O. . Karia . C. T. . Resende . R. M. S. . Chiari . L. . Vieira . M. L. C. . Zucchi . M. I. . Souza . A. P. . AoB Plants . 2012 . pls001 . 10.1093/aobpla/pls001 . 22479672 . 3292737 .