Common name: Yellow Nicker Bean
Caesalpinia major (Medik.) Dandy & Exell APNI* Description: Climber. Stems and leaf rachis armed with thorns.
Pinnae 3–8 pairs; leaflets 3–7 pairs, elliptic-oblong to elliptic-ovate, 3–8 cm long, 3–4 cm broad, acuminate, mucronate; stipules small, subulate, caducous.
Inflorescence supra-axillary and terminal, a simple or branched raceme. Flowers functionally unisexual; pedicels 5–8 mm long. Calyx lobes oblong, 7–10 mm long, densely puberulous. Petals spathulate, clawed, 7–10 mm long, yellow; upper petal smaller and narrower. Filaments 6–7 mm long. Ovary c. 4–5 mm long, pubescent, spiny.
Pods broadly ellipsoidal to suborbicular, slightly asymmetrical, 5–12 cm long, armed with dense spreading prickles. Seeds subglobose, 1.5–2.5 mm diam., greyish yellow to brownish.
Distribution and occurrence: Norfolk Is., Lord Howe Is. A widespread species in the Caribbean area, Madagascar, SE Asia and the Pacific to Hawai'i.
NSW subdivisions: *LHI
Not recorded by W.R.B.Oliver (Trans. & Proc. New Zeal. Inst. 49: 94-161, 1917) or R.M.Laing (Trans. & Proc. New Zealand Inst. 47: 28, 1915), or earlier authors, and probably a chance introduction to the Islands.
Text by B.M. Wiecek
Taxon concept: Flora of Australia Volume 49
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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