Narbon Bean is from the species name narbonensis and its Bean like seed.
Other Names:
Summary:
A squat, angular stemmed, annual herb with leaves that have 2-3 pairs of broad leaflets and a terminal, branched tendril. Purple pea type flowers produce pods with large, velvety brown seeds
Description:
Cotyledons:
Two. Remain underground if buried.
First leaves:
Have a heart shaped pair of leaflets and a short residual tendril. Leaflet tip indented, edges smooth, base tapered to squarish, surface shiny and sometimes undulating. Short hairs on the edges. Prominent veins. Stipule broadly oval with a pointed tip.
Leaves:
Branched twining tendril at the tip and 2-3 pairs of leaflets that are usually almost opposite.
Stipules - Broad, toothed.
Petiole - Shorter than leaf. Petiole of leaflets very short or none.
Blade of leaflet- Tip pointed, round pointed or indented. Edges smoothed to shallowly toothed. Base tapered to squarish.
Stem leaves -
Stems:
Angular, sprawling, branched from near the base. Up to 700 mm long
Flower head:
Single or 2-3 flowers in leaf axils.
Flowers:
Purple pea type.
Ovary -
Sepals -
Petals - Purple.
Stamens -
Anthers -
Fruit:
Seeds:
Brown with a dark spot below a white stripe (hilum). Globular, 7 mm diameter. Surface slightly furrowed. Flesh yellow when split.
Roots:
Has nitrogen fixing root nodules.
Key Characters:
Taproot.
Biology:
Life cycle:
Annual. Seeds germinate in autumn to winter.
Physiology:
Has nitrogen fixing root nodules.
Reproduction:
By seed.
Flowering times:
Spring.
Seed Biology and Germination:
Vegetative Propagules:
Hybrids:
Allelopathy:
Population Dynamics and Dispersal:
Spread by seed.
Origin and History:
Distribution:
ACT, NSW, NT, QLD, SA, TAS, VIC, WA.
Habitats:
Climate:
Temperate.
Soil:
Plant Associations:
Significance:
Beneficial:
Fodder, grain.
Detrimental:
Weed of crops.
Toxicity:
Stock may suffer from grain poisoning on dense mature areas especially after rain.
Symptoms:
Treatment:
Legislation:
None.
Management and Control:
Grazing normally provides control.
Plant tall growing species in amenity areas.
Thresholds:
Eradication strategies:
Prevent seed set for 5 years by grazing, mowing, pulling or applying herbicides.
Hand spray with 1 g of chlorsulfuron(700g/kg) plus 25 mL wetting agent in 10 L of water or boom spray with 20 g/ha chlorsulfuron(700g/kg) in autumn to early winter each year. Hand pull survivors in spring before seed set.
For small infestations and in grass dominant areas an annual application of 10 mL Tordon®75-D in 10 L water in early winter gives excellent control of existing plants and has residual activity to control seedlings.
In bushland, 200 g/ha Lontrel®750 or 50 g/ha Logran® applied in early winter provides reasonably selective control. For hand spraying use 25 mL wetting agent plus 4 g Lontrel®750 or 1 g Logran® in 10 L water. Repeat annually for several years.
Plant tall growing perennial species to reduce re-invasion.
Metsulfuron also provides good control but is less residual and less selective. It is relatively tolerant to glyphosate.
Herbicide resistance:
None reported.
Biological Control:
Related plants:
Broad Bean (Vicia faba var. major)
Common Vetch (Vicia sativa ssp. sativa) has leaves are divided like a feather into 3-10 pairs of small narrow leaflets, each 8-30 mm long. It has pink to purple pea flowers, each 10-20 mm long and either single or in few-flowered clusters. The seed pod is narrow, slightly flattened and 30-50 mm long.
Hairy Vetch (Vicia hirsuta) has an elongated inflorescence of several small flowers each only 2-3 mm long and small, 6-9 mm long hairy seed pods.