Canavalia Explained

Canavalia is a genus of plants in the legume family (Fabaceae) that comprises approximately 62 species of tropical vines. Members of the genus are commonly known as jack-beans. It has a pantropical distribution.

The species of Canavalia endemic to the Hawaiian Islands were named ʻāwikiwiki by the Native Hawaiians. The name translates to "the very quick one"[1] and comes from the Hawaiian word for "fast". The genus name is derived from the Malabar word for the species, kavavali, which means "forest climber."[2]

Uses

Several species are valued legume crops, including common jack-bean (C. ensiformis), sword bean (C. gladiata) and C. cathartica. At least the first makes a beneficial weed- and pathogen-suppressing living mulch.[3] The common jack-bean is also a source of the lectin concanavalin A, which is used as a reagent in glycoprotein biochemistry and immunology. The jack-bean is also a common source of purified urease enzyme used in scientific research.

The bay bean (Canavalia rosea) is supposedly mildly psychoactive when smoked, and is used in tobacco substitutes.

Ecology

Some animals have adaptations to the defensive chemicals of jack-beans. Caterpillars such as that of the two-barred flasher (Astraptes fulgerator) are sometimes found on Canavalia. The plant pathogenic ascomycete fungus Mycosphaerella canavaliae was described from a jack-bean. Introduced herbivores have wreaked havoc on Canavalia on the Hawaiian Islands and made some nearly extinct; it may be that these lost their chemical defenses because no herbivorous mammals existed in their range until introduced by humans. The usually bright pea-flowers are pollinated by insects such as solitary bees and carpenter bees such as Xylocopa confusa.

History

The genus name Canavalia was, as recently as 1913, known as Canavali.[4]

Diversity

Species include:[5]

Formerly placed here

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. (1992): New Pocket Hawaiian Dictionary with a Concise Grammars and Given Names in Hawaiian. University of Hawaii PRess, Honolulu.
  2. Book: Austin, D. F. . Florida Ethnobotany . CRC Press . 2004 . 978-0-8493-2332-4 . 161.
  3. Caamal-Maldonado . J. A. . etal . 2001 . The use of allelopathic legume cover and mulch species for weed control in cropping systems . Agronomy Journal . 93 . 1 . 27–36 . 10.2134/agronj2001.93127x . 2001AgrJ...93...27C . 2013-08-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140525232416/https://www.agronomy.org/publications/aj/abstracts/93/1/27 . 2014-05-25 . dead .
  4. Piper, C. V. 1913. "The Jack Bean and the Sword Bean." USDA Bureau of Plant Industry, Circular. No. 110. p. 29-36
  5. http://www.ildis.org/ Genus Canavalia.
  6. Web site: GRIN Species Records of Canavalia . Germplasm Resources Information Network . United States Department of Agriculture . 2010-12-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090120144125/http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?2025 . 2009-01-20 . dead .
  7. Web site: ʻawikiwiki, puakauhi . Hawaiian Ethnobotany Database . . 2009-03-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070702124032/http://www2.bishopmuseum.org/ethnobotanydb/resultsdetailed.asp?search=awikiwiki . 2007-07-02 . dead .
  8. Web site: Canavalia galeata . Hawaiian Native Plant Propagation Database . . 2009-03-26.

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