Alysicarpus is a genus of approximately 37 species of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus is notable among legumes for bearing simple (undivided) leaves rather than the pinnately or palmately compound leaves typical of the family. Species are commonly known as moneyworts. The genus is distributed across tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Australia, occupying a broad range of warm-climate habitats. Well-known members include Alysicarpus vaginalis (white moneywort or buffalo clover), a pantropical weed and pasture plant, and Alysicarpus ovalifolius (alyce clover), valued as a forage legume in tropical agriculture. The genus was erected by Desvanaux and encompasses annual and perennial herbaceous plants or subshrubs that produce small pea-like flowers characteristic of the subfamily Papilionoideae.
Distribution
Alysicarpus is distributed across tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Australia. Several species, notably A. vaginalis, have become pantropically naturalized and are found as weeds or pasture plants far beyond their native range.
Taxonomy Notes
Alysicarpus belongs to the family Fabaceae (legumes), subfamily Papilionoideae. It is unusual within the family for its simple (not compound) leaves. As of August 2023, Plants of the World Online recognizes 37 species; the GBIF backbone currently resolves 2 descendant taxa at genus level.
