Mucuna bracteata LC Taxonomic Authority: DC.  Global Assessment  Regional Assessment Region: Global  Endemic to region Synonyms Common Names Carpopogon bracteat Roxb. Mucuna brevipes Craib Mucuna exserta C.E.C.Fisch. Mucuna venulosa (Piper) Merr. & F.P.Metcalf Stizolobium venulosu Piper

Upper Level Taxonomy Kingdom: PLANTAE Phylum: TRACHEOPHYTA Class: MAGNOLIOPSIDA Order: FABALES Family: LEGUMINOSAE Lower Level Taxonomy Rank: Infra- rank name:  Plant Hybrid Subpopulation: Authority:

General Information Distribution This species occurs in north east India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Lao PDR, Vietnam and southern China.

Range Size Elevation Biogeographic Realm Area of Occupancy: Upper limit: 2000  Afrotropical Extent of Occurrence: Lower limit: 600  Antarctic Map Status: Depth  Australasian Upper limit:  Neotropical Lower limit:  Oceanian Depth Zones  Palearctic  Shallow photic  Bathyl  Hadal  Indomalayan  Photic  Abyssal  Nearctic Population This species has a wide geographic range and is found in a variety of habitats, it also tolerates some human induced disturbance. In view of this, the population is inferred to be large and stable.

Total Population Size Minimum Population Size: Maximum Population Size: Habitat and Ecology This perennial, sometimes annual, climber or shrub, is found in a wide variety of habitats. It is found in hilly evergreen forests and sometimes in secondary vegetation. It is also found in grasslands and beside roads and rivers.

System Movement pattern Crop Wild Relative  Terrestrial  Freshwater  Nomadic  Congregatory/Dispersive  Is the species a wild relative of a crop?   Marine  Migratory  Altitudinally migrant

Growth From Definition Annual An annual plant, also termed a Therophyte Forb or Herb Biennial or perennial herbacaeous plant, also termed a Hemicryptophyte Shrub - size unkno Perennial shrub (any size), also termed a Phanerophyte if >1m or a Chamaephyte if <1m Vines Vines, lianas and creepers

Threats This is a widespread species which is tolerant of some disturbance. No major threats have been identified.

Past Present Future 13 None    Conservation Measures There are no specific conservation measures in place for this widespread species. The seeds of this species have been collected and it has been experimentally cultivated, under field conditions, to investigate its potential as a cover crop in palm oil and rubber plantations (Matthews 1998). The seeds are available commercially for this purpose. It was not found in available lists of botanic garden species.

In Place Needed 5 Species-based actions   5.7 Ex situ conservation actions   5.7.1 Captive breeding/Artificial propagation  

Countries of Occurrence

PRESENCE ORIGIN Year Breeding Non- Passage Possibly Extinct Presence Native Introduced Re- Vagrant Origin Round Season breeding migrant extinct uncertain Introduced uncertain only season only Bangladesh             China             Guangdong             Guangdong - Hainan             Guangxi             Yunnan             India             Assam             Bihar             Manipur             Meghalaya             Mizoram             Nagaland             Tripura             West Bengal             Lao People's Democratic             Republic Myanmar             Thailand             Viet Nam            

General Habitats Score Description Major Importance General Habitats Score Description Major Importance 1 Forest 1 Suitable Unset 1.6 Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland 1 Suitable Unset 1.9 Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane 1 Suitable Unset 3 Shrubland 1 Suitable Unset 3.6 Shrubland - Subtropical/Tropical Moist 1 Suitable Unset 3.7 Shrubland - Subtropical/Tropical High Altitude 1 Suitable Unset 4 Grassland 1 Suitable Unset 4.6 Grassland - Subtropical/Tropical Seasonally Wet/Flooded 1 Suitable Unset 14 Artificial/Terrestrial 1 Suitable Unset 14.6 Artificial/Terrestrial - Subtropical/Tropical Heavily Degraded 1 Suitable Unset Former Forest

Ecosystem Services  Insufficient Information available  Species provides no ecosystem services

Species Utilisation  Species is not utilised at all

Purpose / Type of Use Subsistence National International 16. Other    3. Medicine - human and veterinary    The seeds are considered by some ethnic groups to have aphrodesiac properties and the hairs of the pod are used as a medicine to expel intestinal worms (Rezia Khatun 2009). It is also used as a cover crop in rubber and palm oil plantations. It is fast growing, has moderate drought resistance and shade tolerance and forms a thick cover which suppresses weeds (Matthews 1998).

Trend in the level of wild offtake/harvest in relation to total wild population numbers over the last five years: Trend in the amount of offtake/harvest produced through domestication/cultivation over the last five years: CITES status: Not listed

IUCN Red Listing Red List Assessment: (using 2001 IUCN system) Least Concern (LC)

Red List Criteria: Date Last Seen (only for EX, EW or Possibly EX species): Is the species Possibly Extinct?  Possibly Extinct Candidate?  Rationale for the Red List Assessment This widespread species has an extent of occurrence (EOO) that far exceeds the critical threshold for a threatened species. The estimated area of occupancy (AOO) and inferred population also exceed the thresholds. It occurs in a variety of habitats and can tolerate some disturbance. It is assessed as Least Concern (LC). Reason(s) for Change in Red List Category from the Previous Assessment:  Genuine Change Nongenuine Change No Change  Genuine Change  Nongenuine Change  No Change  Genuine (recent)  New information  Taxonomy  Same category  Genuine (since first assessment)  Knowledge of Criteria  Criteria Revisio and criteria  Incorrect data used  Other  Same category but previously change in criteria Current Population Trend: Stable Date of Assessment: 18/08/2010 Name(s) of the Assessor(s): H.Chadburn Evaluator(s): Notes:

% population decline in the past: Time period over which the past decline has been measured for applying Criterion A or C1 (in years or generations): % population decline in the future: Time period over which the future decline has been measured for applying Criterion A or C1 (in years or generations): Number of Locations: Severely Fragmented: Number of Mature Individuals:

Bibliography Matthews, C., 1998, The Introduction and establishment of a New Leguminous Cover Plant, Mucuna bracteata, Under Oil Palm in Malaysia., , , Newman, M. et al., 2007, A Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Lao PDR.17 August, , Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Nguyen van Thuan, 1979, Leguminosae (Fabaceae) papilionoideae (faboideae) Phaseoleae, Flore du Cambodge, du Laos et du Vietnam., Aubreville, A. & Leroy, J-F, , Museum national D'Histoire Naturelle, Paris Rezia Khatun, B.M., 2009, Mucuna bracteata, Encyclopedia of Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh, Ahmed, Z.U., , Asiatic Society of Bengal, Sanjappa, M., 1992, Legumes of India, , Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehra Dun Wu, Z.Y., Raven, P.H. and Hong, D.Y., 2010, Flora of China Vol. 10 Fabaceae27 July, , Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing and St Loius