Cajanus kerstingii
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Cajanus kerstingii | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Cajanus |
| Species: | C. kerstingii |
| Binomial name | |
| Cajanus kerstingii | |
Cajanus kerstingii is a widely ignored shrub found mostly in open savannah conditions across western Africa.[1] It is closely related to the widely utilised Cajanus cajan, otherwise known as pigeon pea.[2] Cajanus kerstingii can be consumed by humans as a cereal, pulse, fibre or forage.[3] Unfortunately, very little data exists for this plant, but "one may reasonably expect it to be of value".[4]
Cajanus kerstingii is an erect shrub that grows to be 90–200 centimetres (35–79 in).[1] It is a dicot in the genus Cajanus of the subfamily Faboideae (Fabaceae).[2] When fully harvested, C. kerstingii produces a fruit that can be consumed by humans for various nutritional purposes.[1] In order to recognise the plant, one should seek green branches, or occasionally browny-purple.[1] The leaves are faintly striate (marked by ridges or grooves) and a glandular punctate, meaning the glands of the leaf are sunken in, noticeable when held against the light.[1]
History, geography, ethnography
This plant grows primarily in Western African regions, namely Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Ghana.[5] Other records show its presence in more countries, such as Benin, Mali, Senegal and Togo.[6] C. kerstingii thrives in open savannah conditions, lateritic hills, and can survive at altitudes of 50–500 metres (160–1,640 ft).[1] Several studies have shown that it is common on hilltops or hillsides, among grasses, large granite boulders, and occasionally shrubby trees.[5] The species was first formally described by German botanist Hermann August Theodore Harms, in 1915 from a specimen collected by Otto Kersting in Togo in 1902.[7][8]