page_title: Macroptilium atropurpureum
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Macroptilium atropurpureum / Description
caption_attribution_description: Macroptilium atropurpureum - FABACEAE Parque Olhos d'Água - Brasília - Distrito Federal - Brasil.
context_page_description: Macroptilium atropurpureum, commonly referred to as purple bush-bean, or siratro is a perennial legume recognized by its climbing, dense, green vines and deep purple flowers. The plant is indigenous to the tropical and subtropical regions of North, Central, and South America, as far north as Texas in the USA and as far south as Peru and Brazil> It has been introduced for use as a food for stock to many tropical regions around the world. It has become an invasive pest plant in a number of areas, including the north-eastern coast of Australia Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. Invasive Plant Siratro Macroptilium atropurpureum. The State of Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.. Rich in protein, M. atropurpureum is commonly used for cattle pastures intercropped with grass, used in hay, or as a ground cover to prevent soil erosion and to improve soil quality.
context_section_description: M. atropurpureum is a tropical herbaceous dicot belonging to the family Fabaceae. It rapidly develops dense, hairy, dark green vines about 5 mm in diameter, until it reaches its mature size around 120 cm. The vines have bright green trifoliolate leaves, which are roughly 2–7 cm long with smooth hairs on the underside. Flowers are dark reddish purple. The seeds are small brown peas with a white spot, found in the plant's pods which hang on the vines in bunches of about 5-10. In weather and soil conditions favourable to the plant, stem nodes close to the soil may root, enabling vegetative propagation of the plant. M. atropurpureum forms a deep swollen taproot up to 2 cm in diameter.
caption: Flowers of M. atropurpureum
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