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Mucuna aterrima

Mucuna aterrima

9.9
A climbing plant with purple flowers and hairy pods grown to enrich soil and feed animals
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Mucuna aterrima
  • Farmers in southern states use Mucuna aterrima as green manure and for grazing livestock.

Examples

  • The distinctive hairy pods of Mucuna aterrima can cause skin irritation when handled without gloves.

  • The Mucuna aterrima vine grows rapidly in tropical climates.

  • Mucuna aterrima is often cultivated as a cover crop to improve soil fertility in tropical regions.

  • Farmers often plant Mucuna aterrima to improve soil quality.

  • Mucuna aterrima is often cultivated as a cover crop to improve soil fertility in tropical regions.

  • Farmers in southern states use Mucuna aterrima as green manure and for grazing livestock.

  • Farmers often plant Mucuna aterrima to improve soil quality.

Synonyms

Mucuna deeringiana
vsMucuna aterrima
  • Specialized
9.9

A one-year woody climbing plant with purple flower clusters and hairy pods grown to improve soil and feed animals

is the specific species valued across warm regions rather than named for one region
Stizolobium deeringiana
vsMucuna aterrima
  • Specialized
9.9

A fast-growing vine with purple flowers and hairy pods used as food for animals and to improve soil

has the same traits but is noted for wider cultivation beyond the southern United States
Mucuna pruriens utilis
vsMucuna aterrima
  • Specialized
9.9

A tropical vine grown as a cover crop to improve soil and feed animals

is a distinct species rather than a cultivated variety of another species
velvet bean
vsMucuna aterrima
7.9

A climbing plant with purple flowers and hairy pods grown to improve soil and feed animals

is the formal species label rather than a general or common name
cowage
vsMucuna aterrima
  • Indian
9.9

A climbing plant from Asia with long purple flower clusters and hairy pods used to improve soil and feed animals

is the botanically defined species, not just a general agricultural name
Bengal bean
vsMucuna aterrima
  • US
9.1

A climbing plant with purple flowers and long hairy pods used to improve soil and feed animals

is identified as a specific species rather than a regional cultivated name
Benghal bean
vsMucuna aterrima
  • Archaic
9.1

A woody climbing plant with purple flowers and hairy pods that farmers grow to feed animals and improve soil

is the exact species described for warm region cultivation rather than a regional use term
Florida bean
vsMucuna aterrima
  • Specialized
8.9

A climbing plant people grow to feed animals and improve soil

is the species noted for cultivation across warm regions, not chiefly one area

Surface Forms

Morphology

Mucuna + aterrima

This is a botanical Latin binomial: combining the genus name 'Mucuna' with the species epithet 'aterrima' signals that it is a particular species of Mucuna, so a learner who knows the constituents can infer it names a species. However, the specific biological traits and uses in the full definition are not derivable from the parts (and 'aterrima' is not an English word), so the full meaning is only partially predictable.

Etymology

The plant name Mucuna aterrima likely comes from a local word for a bean and the Latin word aterrima, meaning 'very dark'. So the name paints a simple image of a very dark Mucuna plant, which helps you remember it is a bean-like vine with dark features.