Canavalia
Encyclopedia
Canavalia is a genus
of flowering plant
s in the legume family
(Fabaceae
) and comprises approximately 70-75 species
of tropical vine
s. Members of the genus are commonly known as jack-beans. The species of Canavalia endemic to the Hawaiian Islands
were named āwikiwiki by the Native Hawaiians
. That name means essentially "the very quick one" and comes from the Hawaiian
word for "fast" that has also been appropriated into the name "Wikipedia
". The genus name is derived from the Malabar
word for the species, kavavali, which means "forest climber."
), Sword Bean (C. gladiata
) and C. cathartica. At least the first makes a beneficial weed- and pathogen
-suppressing living mulch
. The Common Jack-bean is also known as the plant from which the lectin
concanavalin A, con A
is produced. This lectin is of major commercial and scientific importance as a reagent in glycoprotein
biochemistry
and immunology
. Also, the Jack-bean is a common source of purified urease
enzyme
for scientific research.
Bay Bean (Canavalia rosea
) supposedly is mildly psychoactive
when smoked; it is used in tobacco
substitutes.
s for example of the Two-barred Flasher (Astraptes fulgerator) are sometimes found on Canavalia. The plant pathogenic ascomycete fungus
Mycosphaerella canavaliae was described from a jack-bean. Introduced herbivore
s have wreaked havoc on Canavalia on the Hawaiian Islands
and made some nearly extinct
; it may be that these lost their chemical defenses as no herbivorous mammal
s existed in their range until introduced by humans. The usually bright pea-flowers are pollinated by insect
s such as solitary bees and carpenter bee
s (e.g. Xylocopa confusa).
_in_kawal,_ap_im_img_2205.jpg)
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s in the legume family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
(Fabaceae
Fabaceae
The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and economically important family of flowering plants. The group is the third largest land plant family, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400 species...
) and comprises approximately 70-75 species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of tropical vine
Vine
A vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...
s. Members of the genus are commonly known as jack-beans. The species of Canavalia endemic to the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
were named āwikiwiki by the Native Hawaiians
Native Hawaiians
Native Hawaiians refers to the indigenous Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands or their descendants. Native Hawaiians trace their ancestry back to the original Polynesian settlers of Hawaii.According to the U.S...
. That name means essentially "the very quick one" and comes from the Hawaiian
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
word for "fast" that has also been appropriated into the name "Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
". The genus name is derived from the Malabar
Malabar Coast
The Malabar Coast is a long and narrow coastline on the south-western shore line of the mainland Indian subcontinent. Geographically, it comprises the wettest regions of southern India, as the Western Ghats intercept the moisture-laden monsoon rains, especially on their westward-facing mountain...
word for the species, kavavali, which means "forest climber."
Uses
Several species are valued legume crops, including Common Jack-bean (C. ensiformisCanavalia ensiformis
Canavalia ensiformis, or Jack-bean, is a legume which is used for animal fodder and human nutrition, especially in Brazil where it is called feijão-de-porco . It is also the source of concanavalin A.- Description :...
), Sword Bean (C. gladiata
Canavalia gladiata
Canavalia gladiata, usually called Sword Bean, is a domesticated plant species in the legume family. The legume is a used as a vegetable in interiors of central and south central India, though not commercially farmed. In telugu it is called 'chamma kaya'The fruits are eaten as a vegetable in...
) and C. cathartica. At least the first makes a beneficial weed- and pathogen
Pathogen
A pathogen gignomai "I give birth to") or infectious agent — colloquially, a germ — is a microbe or microorganism such as a virus, bacterium, prion, or fungus that causes disease in its animal or plant host...
-suppressing living mulch
Living mulch
In agriculture, a living mulch is a cover crop interplanted or undersown with a main crop, and intended to serve the functions of a mulch, such as weed suppression and regulation of soil temperature...
. The Common Jack-bean is also known as the plant from which the lectin
Lectin
Lectins are sugar-binding proteins that are highly specific for their sugar moieties. They play a role in biological recognition phenomena involving cells and proteins. For example, some viruses use lectins to attach themselves to the cells of the host organism during infection...
concanavalin A, con A
Concanavalin A
Concanavalin A is a lectin originally extracted from the jack-bean, Canavalia ensiformis. It binds specifically to certain structures found in various sugars, glycoproteins, and glycolipids, mainly internal and nonreducing terminal α-D-mannosyl and α-D-glucosyl groups...
is produced. This lectin is of major commercial and scientific importance as a reagent in glycoprotein
Glycoprotein
Glycoproteins are proteins that contain oligosaccharide chains covalently attached to polypeptide side-chains. The carbohydrate is attached to the protein in a cotranslational or posttranslational modification. This process is known as glycosylation. In proteins that have segments extending...
biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
and immunology
Immunology
Immunology is a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. It deals with the physiological functioning of the immune system in states of both health and diseases; malfunctions of the immune system in immunological disorders ; the...
. Also, the Jack-bean is a common source of purified urease
Urease
Urease is an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of urea into carbon dioxide and ammonia. The reaction occurs as follows:In 1926, James Sumner showed that urease is a protein. Urease is found in bacteria, yeast, and several higher plants. The structure of urease was first solved by P.A...
enzyme
Enzyme
Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...
for scientific research.
Bay Bean (Canavalia rosea
Canavalia rosea
Canavalia rosea is a species of flowering plant of the genus Canavalia in the pea family, Fabaceae, that has a pantropical distribution. Common names include Beach Bean, Bay Bean, Seaside Jack-bean, Coastal Jack-bean, and MacKenzie Bean.- Description :Coastal Jack-bean is a trailing, herbaceous...
) supposedly is mildly psychoactive
Psychoactive drug
A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, or psychotropic is a chemical substance that crosses the blood–brain barrier and acts primarily upon the central nervous system where it affects brain function, resulting in changes in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition, and behavior...
when smoked; it is used in tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
substitutes.
Ecology
Some animals have adaptation to the defensive chemicals of jack-beans. CaterpillarCaterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
s for example of the Two-barred Flasher (Astraptes fulgerator) are sometimes found on Canavalia. The plant pathogenic ascomycete fungus
Fungus
A fungus is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds , as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...
Mycosphaerella canavaliae was described from a jack-bean. Introduced herbivore
Herbivore
Herbivores are organisms that are anatomically and physiologically adapted to eat plant-based foods. Herbivory is a form of consumption in which an organism principally eats autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in...
s have wreaked havoc on Canavalia on the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
and made some nearly extinct
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
; it may be that these lost their chemical defenses as no herbivorous mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s existed in their range until introduced by humans. The usually bright pea-flowers are pollinated by insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s such as solitary bees and carpenter bee
Carpenter bee
Carpenter bees are large, hairy bees distributed worldwide. There are some 500 species of carpenter bee in 31 subgenera...
s (e.g. Xylocopa confusa).
Species
Formerly placed here
- Dysolobium grande (Wall. ex Benth.) Prain (as C. grandis (Wall. ex Benth.) Kurz)
See also
- Thierry BardiniThierry BardiniThierry Bardini is a French sociologist who did all his academic career outside France. He is a full professor in the Department of Communication at the Université de Montréal, Canada, where he co-directs the Workshop in Radical Empiricism ....
- researched VenezuelaVenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n jack-bean agriculture early in his career