Fabaceae FAMILY

Pithecellobium unguis-cati

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Botanical Description

Pithecellobium unguis-cati is a shrub or small tree, usually with multiple stems arising from or below ground level[ 305 Title Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk Publication Author Website http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands. ]. The plant can be spineless or armed with spines about 5mm long[ 200 Title The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. Publication Author Huxley. A. Publisher MacMillan Press Year 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5 Description Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed. ]. It can grow up to 8 metres tall, but is more commonly about 3 metres[ 356 Title The Useful and Ornamental Plants of Trinidad and Tobago. Publication Author Williams. R. O. & Williams. R. O. Jnr. Publisher Self Published in Trinidad and Tobago. Year 1951 ISBN Description Terse details of a wide range of plants both native and introduced to Trinidad and Tobago. Gives a brief description of the plant and some of its local uses. ]. The edible fruit is sometimes gathered from the wild for local use. The plant is sometimes cultivated as living fence in Florida and in tropical Africa[ 317 Title Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants Publication Author Website http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Terse details of a huge range of useful plants. ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeNorthern S. America - Colombia, Guyana and Venezuela, north to the West Indies and through Central America to Mexico.

HabitatThickets on arid limestone, forming open woodland on the edges of salt marshes[ 426 Title Flowering Plants of Jamaica Publication Author Adams. C.D. Publisher University of the West Indies; Jamaica. Year 1972 ISBN Description A terse treatment of the flowering plants of Jamaica, with a botanical description of each plant, notes on habitat etc. ]. Because of reduced competition from trees, it tends to grow on sand dunes, coastal strands and keys, and on shallow rocky soils, sometimes forming thickets[ 305 Title Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk Publication Author Website http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands. ].