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Cajanus scarabaeoides
Showy pigeonpea is a wild relative of the cultivated pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan), a scrambling or climbing perennial or short-lived shrub of seasonally dry tropical areas. It is grown mainly as a source of drought tolerance and pest resistance for breeding.
Cajanus scarabaeoides is a flowering plant in the genus Cajanus. Of the 32 different species within the genus Cajanus, only one, C. cajan (pigeonpea), is cultivated. Cajanus scarabaeoides is the closest wild relative to C. cajan, and is one of the easiest wild species to cross with pigeonpea cultivars. C. scarabaeoides is found naturally in both temperate and tropical zones around the globe. This species has higher levels of drought tolerance, is found to have greater protein content, and has higher levels of resistance to insect pests compared to cultivated types. These genetic traits can be crossed with C. cajan to improve the crop's productivity. For subsistence farmers, this can reduce economic losses and drastically improve overall crop yield.
C. scarabaeoides occurs naturally in the wild, and can be found in open grassland and dry vegetation areas and in deciduous forests. It is often found along the ridges of cultivated fields, along roads or footpaths, or on hill slopes. It is typically found where there is a decent amount of sunlight, and populations tend to dwindle in dark bush areas or dense forests. This crop is known as a “creeper-climber” that supports itself on surrounding grass and small shrubs. In the Tiandong county in the Guangxi province of China, it can be found growing in wastelands at elevations of 180 m. In the Yi Oun Yang mountains, it can be found growing wildly in the dry hills and beside rivers. The vast areas in which this crop has the ability to grow provides advantages for farmers in both rural and peri-urban areas, as it can be supported by a variety of environments.
While pigeonpea is already a particularly good crop in terms of resistance to drought, C. scarabaeoides has even greater drought tolerance properties and is therefore capable of thriving with very little annual rainfall.
Similar to the cultivated types, C. scarabaeoides is rich in protein and essential amino acids. The seed protein content can range from 17.8-27%, typically being in the upper portion of the range, where cultivated types typically only have around 20% protein content. C. scarabaeoides leaves are also rich in protein, around 13%. This allows farmers to make greater use of the whole crop, as both the seeds and leaves can be eaten for their protein. Additionally, C. scarabaeoides is rich in the amino acids methionine and cysteine, around 3% of protein compared to only 2% in cultivated pigeonpea. These sulfur-based amino acids play an essential role in building the protein structures within this crop.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Cajanus scarabaeoides by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
