Taxon: Neptunia oleracea Lour.

Summary

Genus:

Neptunia

Family:

Fabaceae (alt. Leguminosae)

Subfamily:

Caesalpinioideae

Tribe:

Mimoseae

Nomen number:

25212

Place of publication:

Fl. cochinch. 2:654. 1790

Verified:

03/21/2006 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

5 (1 active, 0 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Invalid Designation(s)
Neptunia natans auct.
Neptunia prostrata auct.

Images (1 total. Click on image for more.)

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Atabaki, N. et al. 2020. Assessment of Water Mimosa (Neptunia oleracea Lour.) morphological, physiological, and removal efficiency for phytoremediation of arsenic-polluted water. Plants. OAJ. 9:1500. DOI: 10.3390/plants9111500.
Aubréville, A. et al., eds. 1960-. Flore du Cambodge du Laos et du Viet-Nam.
Boudet, G. et al. 1986. Catalogue des plantes vasculaires du Mali
Brunel, J. F. et al., eds. 1984. Flore analytique du Togo. Phanerogames
Dyer, R. A. et al., eds. 1963-. Flora of southern Africa.
Erhardt, W. et al. 2002. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 17. Auflage
Holm, L. et al. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds
Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
Lock, J. M. & C. S. Ford. 2004. Legumes of Malesia: a checklist
Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
McVaugh, R. 1983-. Flora Novo-Galiciana. Note: = Neptunia natans (L. f.) Druce
Nicolson, D. H. et al. 1988. An interpretation of Van Rheede's Hortus Malabaricus. Regnum Veg. 119:139. Note: = Mimosa prostrata (Lam.) Baill.
Siemonsma, J. S. & Kasem Piluek, eds. 1993. Vegetables. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 8:217-218.
Smitinand, T. & K. Larsen, eds. 1970-. Flora of Thailand.
Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1946-1976. Flora of Guatemala. Note: = Mimosa prostrata (Lam.) Baill.
Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:753.
Walters, S. M. et al., eds. 1986-2000. European garden flora.
Windler, D. R. 1966. A revision of the genus Neptunia (Leguminosae). Austral. J. Bot. 14:401.

Common names

Language	Name	Alternate name	note	seq	Citation
English	water-mimosa			1	Siemonsma, J. S. & Kasem Piluek, eds. 1993. Vegetables. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 8:217-218.
Swedish	neptunia			2	Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Kenya			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Tanzania			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Uganda			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Sudan			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Angola			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Malawi			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Mozambique			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Zambia			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Zimbabwe			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	Botswana			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	Namibia			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa	KwaZulu-Natal		Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa	Transvaal		Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Benin			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Gambia			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Ghana			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Mali			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Niger			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Nigeria			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Senegal			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Togo			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Cameroon			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Democratic Republic of the Congo			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Andhra Pradesh		Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Arunachal Pradesh		Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Assam		Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Bihar		Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Delhi		Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Goa		Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Gujarat		Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Haryana		Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Himachal Pradesh		Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Jammu and Kashmir		Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Karnataka		Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Kerala		Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Madhya Pradesh		Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Maharashtra		Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Manipur		Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Meghalaya		Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Mizoram		Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Nagaland		Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Odisha		Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Puducherry		Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Punjab		Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Rajasthan		Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Sikkim		Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Tamil Nadu		Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Tripura		Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Uttar Pradesh		Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	West Bengal		Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Maldives
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Nepal			Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Sri Lanka			Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Cambodia			Aubréville, A. et al., eds. 1960-. Flore du Cambodge du Laos et du Viet-Nam.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	India	Andaman and Nicobar Islands
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Laos			Aubréville, A. et al., eds. 1960-. Flore du Cambodge du Laos et du Viet-Nam.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Myanmar
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Thailand			Smitinand, T. & K. Larsen, eds. 1970-. Flora of Thailand.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Vietnam			Aubréville, A. et al., eds. 1960-. Flore du Cambodge du Laos et du Viet-Nam.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Indonesia	Jawa		Lock, J. M. & C. S. Ford. 2004. Legumes of Malesia: a checklist
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Indonesia	Kalimantan		Lock, J. M. & C. S. Ford. 2004. Legumes of Malesia: a checklist
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Indonesia	Maluku		Lock, J. M. & C. S. Ford. 2004. Legumes of Malesia: a checklist
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Indonesia	Sulawesi		Lock, J. M. & C. S. Ford. 2004. Legumes of Malesia: a checklist
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Indonesia	Sumatera		Lock, J. M. & C. S. Ford. 2004. Legumes of Malesia: a checklist
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Malaysia			Lock, J. M. & C. S. Ford. 2004. Legumes of Malesia: a checklist
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Philippines			Lock, J. M. & C. S. Ford. 2004. Legumes of Malesia: a checklist
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Sinaloa		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:753.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Tamaulipas		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:753.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Campeche		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:753.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Chiapas		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:753.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Colima		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:753.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Guerrero		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:753.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Jalisco		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:753.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Michoacán de Ocampo		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:753.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Morelos		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:753.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Nayarit		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:753.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Oaxaca		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:753.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Tabasco		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:753.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:753.
1	Native	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Cuba
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Dominican Republic
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Jamaica
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	United States	Puerto Rico
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Belize
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	El Salvador
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Honduras
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Guyana
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Suriname
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Colombia
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Ecuador
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Peru
2	Cultivated					also cult.
4	Naturalized					widely natzd.
6	Other					exact native range obscure

Native
Africa

NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Sudan
EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo
WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Benin, Ghana, Gambia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo
SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Angola, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Botswana, Namibia, South Africa [KwaZulu-Natal, Transvaal]

Asia-Tropical

INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: India [Sikkim, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Delhi, Goa, Mizoram, Puducherry, Arunachal Pradesh], Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal
INDO-CHINA: India [Andaman and Nicobar Islands], Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam
MALESIA: Indonesia [Jawa, Kalimantan, Maluku, Sulawesi, Sumatera], Malaysia, Philippines

Northern America

NORTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Sinaloa, Tamaulipas]
SOUTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Campeche, Chiapas, Colima, Guerrero, Jalisco, Michoacán de Ocampo, Morelos, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Tabasco, Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave]

Southern America

CARIBBEAN: Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, United States [Puerto Rico]
CENTRAL AMERICA: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador
NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Guyana, Suriname
BRAZIL: Brazil
WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru

Cultivated (also cult.)
Naturalized (widely natzd.)
Other (exact native range obscure)

Reference(s)

Aubréville, A. et al., eds. 1960-. Flore du Cambodge du Laos et du Viet-Nam.
Kumar, S & P. V. Sane. 2003. Legumes of South Asia: a checklist.
Lock, J. M. & C. S. Ford. 2004. Legumes of Malesia: a checklist
Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
Smitinand, T. & K. Larsen, eds. 1970-. Flora of Thailand.
Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:753.

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Environmental	ornamental	aquarium plant	Walters, S. M. et al., eds. 1986-2000. European garden flora.
Environmental	ornamental	aquarium plant	Erhardt, W. et al. 2002. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 17. Auflage
Environmental	pollution control	potential, as heavy metal accumulator	Atabaki, N. et al. 2020. Assessment of Water Mimosa (Neptunia oleracea Lour.) morphological, physiological, and removal efficiency for phytoremediation of arsenic-polluted water. Plants. OAJ. 9:1500. DOI: 10.3390/plants9111500.
Human food	vegetable	potential	Siemonsma, J. S. & Kasem Piluek, eds. 1993. Vegetables. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 8:217-218.
Weed		of unknown importance	Holm, L. et al. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=25212. Accessed 12 May 2026.