Vigna - Definition and Overview

The genus Vigna is in the plant family Fabaceae. The genus is named after Dominico Vigna an Italian botanist of the 17th century. Many Vigna species are cultivated for food. They include some well-known and not so well known bean species formerly included in the genus Phaseolus. Common names in this genus reflect its mixed taxonomic history as some are referred to as peas and others as beans.

Many references even in current literature will place some of these species in genus Phaseolus. According to Hortus Third, however, Vigna differs from Phaseolus in that

• plants in Vigna often have stipules that are appendaged
• the thickened part of the style is less strongly twisted
• details of the pollen
• details of the biochemistry

Examples of Vigna species cultivated for food include:

• V. acontifolia moth bean
• V. angularis azuki bean
• V. mungo urd bean or urd
• V. radiata mung bean, green gram
• V. subterranea Bambara groundnut (placed by some authors in genus Voandzeia)
• V. umbellata rice bean
• V. unguiculata cowpea
  • V. unguiculata ssp. cylindrica Catjang
  • V. unguiculata ssp. dekindtiana Black-eyed pea
  • V. unguiculata ssp. sesquipedalis Yardlong bean
  • V. unguiculata ssp. unguiculata Southern pea
• V. vexillata zombi pea

Other Vigna species include:

• V. caracalla

External links

• Sorting Vigna names (http://www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au/Sorting/Vigna.html)
• ITIS Standard Report Page: Vigna (http://www.itis.usda.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=27015)
• GRIN-CA Taxonomy for Vigna (http://pgrc3.agr.ca/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxdump.pl?Vigna)