Abrus melanospermus subsp. melanospermus

Tilcayo Cats original · Plants · Sources and editorial assessment · Originals retention rule

Abrus melanospermus subsp. melanospermus is a climbing plant in the pea family, Fabaceae. Plants of the World Online recognises it as a subspecies native from tropical and subtropical Asia to the southwestern Pacific. The name Abrus pulchellus appears in older floras; Kew treats it as a synonym of this subspecies.

Description

The Flora of China account under Abrus pulchellus describes a woody climber with slender, hairy stems. Its compound leaves have six to ten pairs of oblong or obovate leaflets. Small pink, purple or purplish-red flowers occur in clusters arising beside the leaves. The flattened pods generally measure 5–6.5 cm long and contain dark brown or black seeds.

Range and habitat

Kew's native-range records include the Indian subcontinent, southern China, Southeast Asia, New Guinea and New Caledonia. The plant is also recorded as introduced in parts of Brazil.

The Chinese flora records it in forests and on hillsides, at elevations of 200–3,000 metres. These habitat and elevation data come from that flora's regional treatment. Thailand's flora records plants formerly called A. pulchellus subsp. cantoniensis in dry evergreen and dipterocarp forest and in open places. Its online account explicitly maps that older name to A. melanospermus subsp. melanospermus.

Names

The classification used by Plants of the World Online brings several formerly distinguished names, including Abrus cantoniensis and A. mollis, into this subspecies. Older floras can therefore divide the same broad group differently. The present account concerns the Asian–Pacific nominate subspecies, not every plant assigned to the species A. melanospermus.