Calopogonium caeruleum
Calopogonium caeruleum
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
Calopogonium caeruleum is adapted to the humid tropics but it is also somewhat drought-tolerant[1]. It grows better in cooler conditions than centro (Centrosema pubescens) and in the elevated tropics can grow up to an altitude of about 800 metres[1]. It grows best in areas with a mean annual rainfall of 1,000 - 3,000mm, but will persist in environments with as little as 700mm[2]. It prefers environments with daily temperatures ranging from 18 - 25°c, tolerating 10 - 32°c[2]. Succeeds in most soils if they are well drained[1]. Plants prefer a sunny position, but are very tolerant of shading[3, 1]. Plants can succeed in acid soils with a pH as low as 4.0[1]. Calopogonium caeruleum has been widely planted throughout the humid tropics, and has escaped from cultivation and become naturalised in many areas[2]. It has considerable weed potential, often smothering desirable grasses and other understorey species[2]. It has invaded seasonally wet tropical environments[2]. The seed can remain viable in the soil for several years[3]. When growing in the humid tropics it flowers indeterminately through the first wet season, producing seed into the dry season[2]. It is capable of producing moderate amounts of seed even in its first year[2]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[4].
Propagation
Seed - Usually established from seed, sowing into a cultivated seedbed at the beginning of the wet season. Establishment can be slow and may be improved by addition of P fertiliser and lime, and by controlling weeds. Current recommendations for cover crop under oil palm in southeast Asia are to seed this species with Pueraria phaseoloides at 1-1.5 and 5-7.5 kg/ha seed, respectively. Plants can be established by stem cuttings but low success rates (5% of cuttings) are common. Using older stem material and treating stems with root-promoting hormones can improve success rates. As a green manure crop, can be established by broadcasting into upland rice following the final weeding. Mid-season plantings may reduce rice yields[2]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Calopogonium+caeruleum>
Pollinators
Insects
References
- [1]Plant Resources of Southeast Asia — http://proseanet.org/ ↩︎Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
- [2]Tropical Forages — http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/index.htm ↩︎Mainly focussed on forage plants, the site gives a lot of information on the plant, with a good botanical description, details of cultivation, plant uses and a good selection of photographs.
- [3]Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk — http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html ↩︎A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands.
- [4]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
- [5]Flora of Guatemala — Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark · 1946 - 1976 · http://www.archive.org/ ↩︎A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
- [6]The Leguminosae; A Source Book of Characteristics, Uses and Nodulation — Allen O.N.; Allen E.K. · University of Wisconsin · 1981 · ISBN 0-333-32221-5 ↩︎An amazing and comprehensive work, giving a brief guide to the many genera of the family Fabaceae and also the principle uses of the genus.
- [7]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.