Taxon: Canavalia africana Dunn

Summary

Genus:

Canavalia

Family:

Fabaceae (alt. Leguminosae)

Subfamily:

Faboideae

Tribe:

Phaseoleae

Subtribe:

Diocleinae

Nomen number:

8844

Place of publication:

C. V. Piper & S. T. Dunn, Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1922:135. 1922

Comment:

= Canavalia virosa auct.

Verified:

12/22/2005 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

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

Other conspecific taxa

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

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Canavalia ferruginea Piper

Invalid Designation(s)
Canavalia virosa auct.

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

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

Bosch, C. H. 2004. PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques & South African National Biodiversity Institute. African flowering plants database (on-line resource).
Idohou, R. et al. 2012. National inventory and prioritization of crop wild relatives: case study for Benin. Genet. Resources Crop Evol. 60:1337-1352.
Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
Moteetee, A. N. 2016. Canavalia (Phaseoleae, Fabaceae) species in South Africa: Naturalised and indigenous. S. African J. Bot. 103:6-16.
Nicolson, D. H. et al. 1988. An interpretation of Van Rheede's Hortus Malabaricus. Regnum Veg. 119:127.
Sauer, J. 1964. Revision of Canavalia. Brittonia 16:152. Note: = Canavalia virosa (Roxb.) Wight & Arn.
Snak, C. et al. 2016. A dated phylogeny of the papilionoid legume genus Canavalia reveals recent diversification by a pantropical liana lineage. Molec. Phylogenet. Evol. 98:133-146.
Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa. Note: = Canavalia virosa (Roxb.) Wight & Arn.
Verdcourt, B. 1987. Three corrections to the Flora of Tropical East Africa. Kew Bull. 42:659.

Common names

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	Ethiopia			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Somalia			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	Northeast Tropical Africa	Yemen	Arkhabīl Suquţrá		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	South Africa		e.	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	Ghana			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Guinea			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Guinea-Bissau			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Mali		s.w.	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	Sierra Leone			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	Central African Republic			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	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Rwanda			Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India

Native
Africa

NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen [Arkhabīl Suquţrá]
EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda
WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali (s.w.), Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo
SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Angola, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe
SOUTHERN AFRICA: South Africa (e.)

Asia-Tropical

INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: India

Reference(s)

Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist

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=8844. Accessed 17 April 2026.