Hayes and Garber - Cucurbit Breeding

COWPEAS, SOYBEANS, AND VELVET BEANS 149
VELVET BEAN (Stizolobium)
Origin. Although little is known of the early history of the
velvet bean it is thought that it is a native of India. The
Florida velvet bean (Stizolobium deeringianum) was introduced
into Florida previous to 1875 and has never been grown much
farther north because of climatic limitations. Southern Georgia,
Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana mark the northern limits
of this thrifty, vigorous growing legume. Cultivated varieties of
related species of Stizolobium have been found in the countries
surrounding the Indian Ocean. The most important of
these is the Lyon bean (S. niveum). Hybridization between
this form and the Florida velvet bean has produced many
different types, some of which resemble other species of Stizolobium.
From this fact, Piper has suggested that possibly all
cultivated forms of Stizolobium belong to a single species.
Important Characters and Inheritance. The Florida velvet
bean is an annual of extremely vigorous growth. Its branched,
vine-like stems sometimes reach a length of from 30 to 50 ft.
The leaves are large and compound, bearing ovate leaflets. The
flowers, which are dark purple (white in some species), are borne
in long racemes. The most important parts of the plant from
a feeding standpoint are the pods, together with their seeds.
Mature pods carry from three to five marbled brown and gray
seeds. The pods are somewhat constricted between the seeds
and are covered with a velvety pubescence. Another important
agronomic character is dehiscence of pod. The Lyon, which has
pods nearly free from hair, scatters its seed when ripe, the
Florida velvet bean does not. Pods of different varieties also
differ in the degree of susceptibility to rot when in contact with
moist soil. The pods of Yokohama velvet bean, from Japan,
decay very easily.
Belling, 1 of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station,
has made a study of the inheritance of some of the characters of
the velvet bean. He crossed the Florida velvet bean extensively
with Lyon bean and to a lesser extent with Yokohama and China
velvet beans. The Florida bean has a pubescence
of whitish
stiff hairs on its leaf buds and young shoots while the ripe pods
are covered with brownish black, woolly, flattened hairs mixed
with a few stiff hairs. These hairs average 1 mm. in length.
1
See BELLING (1912o, 1913, 1914a,6, 1915a,6).