Ctenodon histrix

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

Ctenodon histrix is a low-growing legume native from Mexico to parts of South America and Trinidad. It is often described in botanical and agricultural literature as Aeschynomene histrix, and is also known as porcupine jointvetch. Kew accepts its placement in Ctenodon, published in 2020.

Appearance

The 2018 flora of Goiás, Brazil, describes a sprawling subshrub with conspicuously hairy branches. Its leaves are divided into twelve to twenty-eight small leaflets. The main vein of each leaflet lies off-centre. Compact clusters of four to fifteen flowers develop beside the leaves; the flowers are pink or yellow and about five to seven millimetres long.

The short fruits bend back and are divided into one to three segments. Hair colour and density vary: the Goiás treatment distinguishes forms with grey, silky hairs and others with golden bristles.

Distribution and habitat

Kew records a broad American native range and an introduction in Florida. In Goiás, the flora records the species in open Cerrado, rocky grasslands and disturbed places such as roadsides. The varieties occupy somewhat different habitats; some records are from damp slopes near waterfalls. These regional observations do not describe every population across its range.

Agricultural research

Porcupine jointvetch has been investigated as forage and as a plant for improving fallow land. The Tropical Forages profile describes slow establishment and potential use on relatively infertile, well-drained soils.

A study published in 2000 compared sixty-four seed accessions in a 1995 wet-season trial at Ibadan, Nigeria. Growth was slow during the first eight weeks. More upright plants generally produced more herbage, but were more susceptible to a wilt; sprawling plants were more affected by foliar blight. The researchers selected twenty accessions for further evaluation.

Laboratory tests also found accessions that stimulated germination of the parasitic plant Striga hermonthica. This suggested a possible role as a trap crop: encouraging the parasite's seeds to germinate without providing a suitable host. The authors stressed that the laboratory finding needed field confirmation. It was not a demonstration of reliable control in farmers' fields.

Names and variation

Aeschynomene histrix Poir., published in 1816, is a synonym in Kew's current treatment. The older spelling Aeschynomene hystrix also occurs in the literature. The accepted species includes several varieties; this account covers the species as a whole.