Common name: Pigeon pea

Native to India

Use: Seedpods, seeds and leaves are excellent fresh-cut fodder for livestock. They are also cut to produce silage and for drying and making into hay. Fresh parts harvested for livestock are reported to have a crude protein content of between 18% and 20% of dry weight. The ground seeds are incorporated in poultry feeds as a source of protein, with up to 30% in starter chicken feeds reported to produce weight gains comparable to more conventional protein sources. The flowers produce nectar in only small quantities, but this is available during the winter months when most other plants are not in bloom, making it useful as a bee forage species.

Health use: The seed contain high levels of

Climate: Grows well and is productive in sub-humid to moderately humid tropical lowland to mid-elevation climates, generally in areas with a annual lows of 16 to 24 °C, annual highs of 25 to 33 °C, annual rainfall of 1000 to 2400 mm and a dry season of 3 to 6 months.

Growing: It is intolerant of waterlogging or other wet soil conditions usually found on flat, poorly drained sites. Hillside and gently sloping sites produce the best results in areas where rainfall is close to the upper limit for the species.

Problem features: Conflicting records of its weed risk. Birds are attracted to the seed  but there are few reports of it as a serious weed, despite it being introduced and established in many countries, as a plant to produce food for both humans and livestock. It is naturalised in Australia and is listed there as a invasive species. [Edit]