| DESCRIPTION: Erect, leguminous shrub reaching 1-3 m in height. Erect stems have few branches and tend to become woody. Leaves trifoliate, leaflets usually rather thick, 5-7 cm long. Purple flowers borne in many large open panicles. USE: Used in contour hedgerows and for alley cropping. Foliage cut for stock feed or used as nitrogen-rich mulch. GROWING PERIOD: Biennial or short-lived perennial (2-3 years). COMMON NAMES: Rensonii. FURTHER INF: It is native to western Mexico and Central America from Salvador to Nicaragua and distributed to South and Southeast Asia and the Philippines. It is adapted to the wet tropics with more than 1500 mm average annual rainfall and a short, or no dry season. Lowland species found at altitudes between 0-1000 m. Requires a mean annual temperature in excess of 20°C and has no frost tolerance. Found on moderately fertile, neutral or slightly acid soils. Becomes chlorotic in alkaline soil. |