– Description:
– M. lathyroides is a herbaceous annual or short-lived perennial, 0.6–1 m tall.
– Leaves are compound with three ovate to lanceolate leaflets, 3–8cm long and 1–3.5cm wide.
– Flowers are red to purple, with wing petals larger than the lower petals.
– The plant grows paired long pods, 5.5–12cm long, 2.5–3mm wide.
– Seeds are obliquely oblong, about 3mm long, mottled light and dark grey-brown or black.
– Ecology:
– M. lathyroides is native to tropical and subtropical America, from Mexico to Argentina.
– It adapts to a wide range of latitudes, soil types, and pH levels.
– The plant thrives in areas with annual rainfall between 750–2,000mm.
– It can tolerate moderate frost and salinity.
– Forms dense monocultures and combines well with open grasses, reaching up to 1.5m in height.
– Spread and Cultivation:
– Widely naturalized across tropical regions, cultivated for forage or green manure.
– Considered a good pioneer species due to easy spread and early growth.
– In some areas, it is a minor weed of rice.
– Regarded as an environmental weed in Queensland and the Northern Territory in Australia.
– Spreads easily without competition and exhibits good early growth.
– Gallery:
– Includes images of flowers, leaves, pods, and a roadside colony.
– References:
– Macroptilium lathyroides (L.) Urb. – Plants of the World Online.
– Macroptilium lathyroides UF/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants.
– Macroptilium lathyroides Tropical Forages.
– NatureServe: 2.138588.