Canavalia brasiliensis
Canavalia brasiliensis
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
A plant of the tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 1,000 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 26 - 30°c, but can tolerate 18 - 34°c[1]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 900 - 1,500mm, but tolerates 500 - 2,000mm[1]. Grows best in a sunny position[1]. Succeeds in most soils, including those of low fertility[2]. There are indications that the plant may be somewhat tolerant of saline conditions[1]. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 7, tolerating 4.3 - 8[1]. The plant survives, and can stay green, during 5 - 6 months of dry period - it then grows away quickly at the onset of the rains and as a result can suppress weeds[1]. As a green manure, average dry matter (DM) production is 5,000 - 7,000 kg/ha/year, with extremes ranging from 1,700 - 14,200 kg/ha/year[1]. 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[3].
Propagation
Seed - it has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing to speed up germination[2]. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing. Germination rates up to 80% can be achieved from scarified seed[2]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Canavalia+brasiliensis>
Pollinators
Data unavailable
References
- [1]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
- [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]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.