Flora of North America species comparison

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Canavalia ensiformis

Jack bean
Habit Herbs or vines, annual or perennial, herbaceous, 1–2(–10) m. Stems twining or erect, glabrous or glabrate.
Leaves

stipules 0.6–1.3 × 0.4–1 mm;

petiole 5–12 cm;

petiolules 3.6–7.8 mm, moderately to densely pubescent, hairs 0.3 mm;

leaflet blades ovate-elliptic, 60–150(–200) × 26–82 mm, base cuneate, apex obtuse or subacute, surfaces glabrate.
Panicles

to 15 cm;

bracteoles 2 × 1 mm, apex obtuse.
Pedicels

2–2.3 mm, strigillose.
Flowers

calyx 9.7–14 mm;

central lobe of abaxial lip exceeding ± acute lateral lobes;

corolla lavender to pink-purple, 20–28 mm.
Legumes

slightly compressed, narrowly oblong, 15–35 × 3–3.5 cm.
Seeds

9–15, white or off-white, moderately compressed, oblong, 2 × 1.5 cm;

hilum shorter to longer than 1/2 length of seed.
2n

= 22.

Canavalia ensiformis
Phenology Flowering Jul–Sep.
Habitat Waste places.
Elevation 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; FL; GA; KS; LA; MO; MS; NC; OK; TX; Central America; West Indies [Introduced also in Mexico, South America, Asia, Africa, Pacific Islands]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

J. D. Sauer (1964) cited a Palmer collection (GH) of Canavalia ensiformis from plants grown at Harvard from seed, from either Arizona or Sonora; this specimen was not seen. Canavalia ensiformis is reported adventive in White County, Illinois (R. H. Mohlenbrock 1986); corresponding specimens have not been seen. It is cultivated for forage, erosion control, and as a green manure (D. Isely 1990).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Canavalia
Sibling taxa
C. brasiliensis, C. gladiata, C. rosea
Synonyms Dolichos ensiformis
Name authority (Linnaeus) de Candolle in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle: Prodr. 2: 404. (1825)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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