Alysicarpus ovalifolius (Schum. &. Thonn.) J. Léonard

Leguminosae

Author: Le Houérou

Common names

Alyce clover, False moneywort

Description

Annual herb sprawling or erect to about 60 cm.

Habitat

Found on waste savanna ground and as a weed in cropland. Particularly common in spoilt places around water sources : wells, ponds and bore holes, together with another ephemeral legume Zornia glochidiata.

Water

Common between the isohyets of 200 and 600 mm of MAR.

Soil

Usually found on sandy soils.

Distribution

Occurs across the whole Sahel from Mauritania to the Sudan Rep, widespread in the African and Asian tropics.

Products & uses

Much relished fodder by all stock in the rainy season in all territories. Has never been cultivated, as far as we are aware.

Nutritional Quality and Animal Production

Excellent fodder when green with 14-19 % CP and ca 5.5 Mj of NE per kg DM, but yields are moderate. Dried out haulms contains no more than 5 % CP, and are therefore of little value for the dry season.

References

Andrews 1952 ; Hutchinson et al. 1958 ; Baumer 1975 ; Berhaut 1976 ; Boudet 1984 ; Le Houérou 1989a.