Entada polystachya
Entada polystachya (L.) DC.
Entada polystachya is a climbing shrub or liana in the Fabaceae family, reaching up to 10 m in length. It is native to regions across Central and South America, including Colombia, Brazil, and parts of the Caribbean. The plant features compound leaves with 3–5 pairs of pinnae and 5–11 leaflets per pinna. Its inflorescence is a terminal panicle of spikes with cream-colored stamens and reddish sepals and petals, emitting an unpleasant odor. The fruit is a falcate, laterally compressed craspedium with transverse septa, splitting into one-seeded segments upon ripening. Seeds are elliptic and marked with a pleurogram.
Description
Entada polystachya is a member of the Fabaceae family and is characterized by its climbing growth habit. Leaves are pinnate with 3.5–8 cm long pinnae and oblong leaflets measuring 1.5–4 x 0.5–2 cm. The inflorescence is a one-sided panicle of upright spikes, 8–10 cm long, bearing cream-colored stamens and reddish sepals and petals. The fruit is a laterally compressed, falcate craspedium, 15–40 cm long, divided into one-seeded segments by transverse septa. Each segment detaches from the persistent replum when mature. The mesocarp surrounding the seeds is spongy and conspicuous. Seeds are elliptic, 1.2–1.7 x 0.8–1.3 x 2–4 mm in size, with a pleurogram. The species is widely distributed across tropical regions of the Americas.
Distribution
Complejo Humedales Hato Corozal. Cienaga Zapatosa · BR · Vía Parque Isla de Salamanca | Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona | Parque Nacional Natural Tinigua | Parque Nacional Natural Los Katíos · Zacapa Finca Palmares de Zacapa | Corregimiento de Caracolicito Ariguani (Daabon) · Antioquia, Atlántico, Bolívar, Chocó, Córdoba, La Guajira, Magdalena · Global · Belize · Bolivia · Brazil Northeast · Brazil North · Colombia · Costa Rica · Dominican Republic · Ecuador · El Salvador · French Guiana · Guatemala · Guyana · Haiti · Honduras · Leeward Is. · Mexico Central · Mexico Gulf · Mexico Northwest · Mexico Southeast · Mexico Southwest · Nicaragua · Panamá · Suriname · Trinidad-Tobago
Synonyms
Acacia caudataMimosa bipinnataMimosa caudataMimosa chilianthaEntadopsis polystachyaAdenanthera bonplandianaMimosa polystachiaEntada plumeriiAdenopodia polystachyaProsopis bonplandianaAcacia secundifloraDesmanthus caudatusEntada chilianthaEntada plumeriEntada acaciifoliaEntadopsis polystachiaPusaetha acaciifoliaPusaetha entadaEntada polystachya var. polystachya
