Weeds of Australia - Fact Sheet

Top Scientific Name Synonyms Family Common Names Origin Naturalised Distribution Notes

Scientific Name

Calopogonium mucunoides Desv.

Synonyms

Calopogonium brachycarpum (Benth.) Benth. ex Hemsl.
Calopogonium orthocarpum Urb.
Stenolobium brachycarpum Benth.

Family

Fabaceae (Queensland, the ACT, Victoria, Tasmania and the Northern Territory)
Fabaceae: subfamily - Faboideae (New South Wales)
Leguminosae (South Australia)
Papilionaceae (Western Australia)

Common Names

calapo, calopo, wild ground nut

Origin

Native to Mexico, Central America (i.e. Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama), the Caribbean and tropical South America (i.e. French Guiana, Guyana, Surinam, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru).

Naturalised Distribution

Naturalised in northern Queensland and the northern parts of the Northern Territory. It is most widespread in the Darwin and Gulf regions of the Northern Territory and on the Cape York Peninsula in far northern Queensland.

Also naturalised on Christmas Island and in other tropical regions of the world (e.g. Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia).

Notes

Calopo (Calopogonium mucunoides) is a vine that was introduced into Australia as a pasture legume. It has become naturalised in disturbes sites, waste areas and crops, along roadsides and waterways, and on the edges of rainforests in the wetter tropical regions of northern Australia. It is most common in the Darwin region and in surrounding bushland, and has also become a weed in Kakadu National Park. In these areas, populations are extending rapidly and it has been observed to form dense mats that smother native vegetation.