Taxon: Vigna marina (Burm.) Merr.

Summary

Genus:

Vigna

Subgenus:

Vigna

Section:

Vigna

Family:

Fabaceae (alt. Leguminosae)

Subfamily:

Faboideae

Tribe:

Phaseoleae

Subtribe:

Phaseolinae

Nomen number:

41617

Place of publication:

Interpr. Herb. amboin. 285. 1917

Comment:

non Vigna marina auct. Austral. (= V. luteola (Jacq.) Benth.)

Verified:

03/11/1987 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

15 (1 active, 0 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Vigna marina (Burm.) Merr. subsp. marina (0 active accession[s])
Vigna marina (Burm.) Merr. subsp. oblonga (Benth.) S. Padulosi (0 active accession[s])

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

Basionym
Phaseolus marinus Burm.

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Dolichos luteus Sw.
Scytalis retusa E. Mey.
Vigna lutea (Sw.) A. Gray
Vigna retusa (E. Mey.) Walp.

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

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
Aubréville, A. et al., eds. 1960-. Flore du Cambodge du Laos et du Viet-Nam.
Beyra, A. & G. Reyes Artiles. 2004. Revisión taxonómica de los géneros Phaseolus y Vigna (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) en Cuba. Anales Jard. Bot. Madrid 61:148-149.
Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959-. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae.
Craib, W. G. & A. F. G. Kerr, eds. 1925-1962. Florae siamensis enumeratio.
Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. 1980-. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon.
Huang, S. F. & T. C. Huang. 1987. Taxonomic treatment of the Papilionoideae (Leguminosae) of Taiwan. Taiwania 32:11-117.
Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS). Australian plant common name database (on-line resource).
International Seed Testing Association. 1982. A Multilingual Glossary of Common Plant-Names 1. Field crops, grasses and vegetables, ed. 2.
Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
Lawn, R. J. & A. R. Watkinson. 2002. Habitats, morphological diversity, and distribution of the genus Vigna Savi in Australia. Austral. J. Agric. Res. 53:1305-1316.
Lewis, G. P. 1987. Legumes of Bahia
Liogier, H. A. & L. F. Martorell. 1982. Flora of Puerto Rico and adjacent islands: a systematic synopsis. Note: = Vigna retusa (E. Mey.) Walp.
Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
Maréchal, R. et al. 1978. Étude taxonomique d'un groupe complexe d'espèces des genres Phaseolus et Vigna (Papilionaceae) sur la base données morphologiques et polliniques, traitées par l'analyse informatique. Boissiera 28:166.
Maxted, N. et al. 2004. An ecogeographic study African Vigna. Syst. Ecogeogr. Stud. Crop Genepools 39, 94. Note: yellow flowers, but not native to Africa
Ohwi, J. 1965. Flora of Japan (Engl. ed.).
Padulosi, S. & N. Q. Ng. 1993. A useful and unexploited herb, Vigna marina (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) and the taxonomic revision of its genetic diversity. Bull. Jard. Bot. Natl. Belg. 62:119-126. Note: recognizes two subspecies
Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Sanjappa, M. 1992. Legumes of India
Smith, A. C. 1979-1991. Flora vitiensis nova.
Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
Verdcourt, B. 1979. A manual of New Guinea legumes.
Walker, E. 1976. Flora of Okinawa and the southern Ryukyu Islands.
Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama. Note: = Vigna luteola (Jacq.) Benth.; sensu auct. = V. retusa
Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
Yoshida, J. et al. 2020. Unique responses of three highly salt-tolerant wild Vigna species against salt stress. Pl. Prod. Sci. 23:114-128. DOI: 10.1080/1343943X.2019.1698968.

Common names

Language	Name	Alternate name	seq	Citation
English	dune-bean		1	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
English	notched cowpea		1	Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS). Australian plant common name database (on-line resource).
English	sea-bean		1	Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS). Australian plant common name database (on-line resource).
Chinese	bin jiang dou	滨豇豆	2	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
Italian	vigna marina		2	International Seed Testing Association. 1982. A Multilingual Glossary of Common Plant-Names 1. Field crops, grasses and vegetables, ed. 2.
Japanese Rōmaji	hama-azuki		2	Ohwi, J. 1965. Flora of Japan (Engl. ed.).
Japanese Rōmaji	hama-sasage		2	Walker, E. 1976. Flora of Okinawa and the southern Ryukyu Islands.
Portuguese	batatarana		2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Tanzania		coast	Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Mozambique		coast	Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa	KwaZulu-Natal	coast	Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Benin		coast	Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Ghana		coast	Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Liberia		coast	Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Nigeria		coast	Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Cameroon		coast	Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Congo		coast	Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Democratic Republic of the Congo		coast	Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Equatorial Guinea		coast	Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Gabon		coast	Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	Western Indian Ocean	Madagascar		coast	Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	Western Indian Ocean	Seychelles		coast	Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Hainan Sheng		Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959-. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Eastern Asia	Japan	Kyushu	coast	Ohwi, J. 1965. Flora of Japan (Engl. ed.).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Eastern Asia	Japan	Ryukyu Islands	coast	Ohwi, J. 1965. Flora of Japan (Engl. ed.).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Eastern Asia	Taiwan		coast
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India			Sanjappa, M. 1992. Legumes of India
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Maldives		coast
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Sri Lanka		coast	Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. 1980-. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Thailand		coast
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Vietnam		coast	Aubréville, A. et al., eds. 1960-. Flore du Cambodge du Laos et du Viet-Nam.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Indonesia		coast
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Malaysia		coast
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Philippines		coast
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Papuasia	Papua New Guinea		coast
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Papuasia	Solomon Islands
1	Native	Australasia	Australia	Australia	New South Wales	n.e.
1	Native	Australasia	Australia	Australia	Northern Territory	coast
1	Native	Australasia	Australia	Australia	Queensland	coast
1	Native	Pacific	Northwestern Pacific	Micronesia
1	Native	Pacific	South-Central Pacific	French Polynesia
1	Native	Pacific	Southwestern Pacific	Vanuatu
1	Native	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil	Bahia	coast	Lewis, G. P. 1987. Legumes of Bahia
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Cuba		coast
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Jamaica		coast
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	United States	Puerto Rico	coast
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Panama		coast	Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama. Note: = Vigna luteola (Jacq.) Benth.; sensu auct. = V. retusa
2	Cultivated					also cult.

Native
Africa

EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Tanzania (coast)
WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Cameroon (coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo (coast), Congo (coast), Gabon (coast), Equatorial Guinea (coast)
WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Benin (coast), Ghana (coast), Liberia (coast), Nigeria (coast)
SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Mozambique (coast)
SOUTHERN AFRICA: South Africa [KwaZulu-Natal (coast)]
WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN: Madagascar (coast), Seychelles (coast)

Asia-Temperate

CHINA: China [Hainan Sheng]
EASTERN ASIA: Japan [Kyushu (coast), Ryukyu Islands (coast)], Taiwan (coast)

Asia-Tropical

INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: India, Sri Lanka (coast), Maldives (coast)
PAPUASIA: Papua New Guinea (coast), Solomon Islands
INDO-CHINA: Thailand (coast), Vietnam (coast)
MALESIA: Indonesia (coast), Malaysia (coast), Philippines (coast)

Australasia

AUSTRALIA: Australia [New South Wales (n.e.), Queensland (coast), Northern Territory (coast)]

Pacific

NORTHWESTERN PACIFIC: Micronesia
SOUTH-CENTRAL PACIFIC: French Polynesia
SOUTHWESTERN PACIFIC: Vanuatu

Southern America

CARIBBEAN: Cuba (coast), Jamaica (coast), United States [Puerto Rico (coast)]
CENTRAL AMERICA: Panama (coast)
BRAZIL: Brazil [Bahia (coast)]

Cultivated (also cult.)

Reference(s)

Aubréville, A. et al., eds. 1960-. Flore du Cambodge du Laos et du Viet-Nam.
Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959-. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae.
Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. 1980-. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon.
Lewis, G. P. 1987. Legumes of Bahia
Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
Ohwi, J. 1965. Flora of Japan (Engl. ed.).
Sanjappa, M. 1992. Legumes of India
Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama. Note: = Vigna luteola (Jacq.) Benth.; sensu auct. = V. retusa

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Environmental	soil improver	locally used in Asia and Africa	Padulosi, S. & N. Q. Ng. 1993. A useful and unexploited herb, Vigna marina (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) and the taxonomic revision of its genetic diversity. Bull. Jard. Bot. Natl. Belg. 62:119-126. Note: recognizes two subspecies
Environmental	soil improver	potential	Yoshida, J. et al. 2020. Unique responses of three highly salt-tolerant wild Vigna species against salt stress. Pl. Prod. Sci. 23:114-128. DOI: 10.1080/1343943X.2019.1698968.
Human food	vegetable		Yoshida, J. et al. 2020. Unique responses of three highly salt-tolerant wild Vigna species against salt stress. Pl. Prod. Sci. 23:114-128. DOI: 10.1080/1343943X.2019.1698968.

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=41617. Accessed 12 May 2026.