
%0 Journal Article
%A Lawn, R. J. 
%A Watkinson, A. R. 
%T Habitats, morphological diversity, and distribution of the genus <emph type="2">Vigna </emph>Savi in Australia
%J Australian Journal of Agricultural Research
%D 2002/12/16
%V 53
%N 12
%P 1305-1316
%K germplasm, native legumes.
%R https://doi.org/10.1071/AR02065
%U https://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/AR02065 
%X Vigna is an agriculturally important genus containing several important species used as pulses, forages, vegetable, or cover crops. The genus is represented in Australia by 5 species, 4 indigenous (V. radiata, V. vexillata, V. luteola, V. marina) and 1 endemic (V. lanceolata). A germplasm collection has been assembled comprising &#62;400 accessions of the 5 Vigna species from Australia and offshore and seed committed to storage as the CSIRO National Vigna collection. For a large number of accessions, herbarium sheets have also been prepared either from field or glasshouse-grown plants and lodged with the Qld Herbarium, Brisbane. This paper describes the structure of the collection and, for each of the 5 species and major regional variants, summarises provenance information on their geographic distribution, habitat, soil type, and associated species. Within the Australian tropics/subtropics, the Vigna species collectively occupy a diverse range of grassland habitats extending from the foreshore to the central desert. Of the 5 species, the endemic V. lanceolata is the most diverse in terms of distribution, habitat, and morphology. Geographic gaps in the collection are noted and priorities for future collection suggested. 
