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Leguminosae
Synonyms
Meibomia barbatum DC.
Common names
Barbadinho (Brazil).
Description
Short-lived perennial, erect, more or less woody herb growing
to 1 m; trifoliate leaves with a grey silky pubescence. Basal leaves fall
readily and the stem turns quite woody before flowering. Racemes are short,
2 to 4 cm long, borne on the ends of the branches; flowers in clusters,
usually red, occasionally white. Pods hairy, each joint 3 mm long, with
two to four joints. There are many ecotypes.
Distribution
Widely distributed from Florida, United States, to northern
Argentina (Burkart, 1952). In Guanacaste, Costa Rica, Kretschmer (personal
communication) found it growing at 200 to 600 m. In tropical Africa it
is found from Zimbabwe to Madagascar.
Characteristics
Prefers well-prepared, deep, fertile soil; is planted with
drills in rows 0.6 m apart or broadcast. Contains up to 96 percent hard
seed, which should be scarified mechanically or treated with concentrated
acid for at least 10, preferably 30, but not more than 45 minutes (Otero,
1952), after which it is washed and dried. Seed is broadcast (18 to 20
kg./ha) or drilled in rows (14 kg.). Cover seed with 3 to 4 cm of soil.
Early growth is slow, row planting enabling interrow cultivation to-suppress
weeds in the first year. It is tolerant of cold and stands grazing, fire
and trampling. Should be cut for hay before flowering, taking care to preserve
the leaf. If cut later, the material is too coarse. In Brazil, three cuts
per year can be taken at 50 to 60 cm. Kretschmer (1964) found it heavily
grazed along with jaragua grass (Hyparrhenia sp.) in the Guanacaste region
of Costa Rica. Bermudez et al. (1968) stated that it is highly nutritious
and is well accepted by cattle. It makes good hay and green chop cut at
a height of 20 to 30 cm; stands cutting and recovers well, though in some
areas there is little second growth. Horrell (1963) found it slow in establishment,
lacking in vigour and unproductive at Serere, Uganda.
Otero (1952) recorded three cuts per year with a yield of 7 000 kg./ha
of green material per cut at a plant height of 50 to 60 cm. Analyses of
dry matter revealed 15.16 percent crude protein and 31.1 percent crude
fibre at flowering, and 17.27 percent crude protein and 33.98 percent crude
fibre before flowering.
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