Fabaceae

Showy pigeonpea

Cajanus scarabaeoides (L.) Thouars

Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Cajanus

Pet and kid safety: not checked yet. Check pet-safe plants

Showy pigeonpea (Cajanus scarabaeoides) — FlowerPhoto: chiuluan, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

Is yours looking unwell? Scan your plant — free

Common names

By language (3)

Chinese: 蔓草虫豆, 蔓蟲豆, 蔓草蟲豆
English: Showy pigeonpea
Thai: ขี้หนอนเถา

Synonyms

Atylosia scarabaeoides (L.) Benth.
Atylosia scarabaeoides var. argyrophlla Y.T.Wei & S.K.Lee
Atylosia scarabaeoides var. typica Domin
Cantharospermum scarabaeoides (L.) Baill.
Cantharospermum scarabaeoides (L.) Koord.
Cantharospermum scarabeoideum Baill.
Dolichos scarabaeoides L.
Dolichos scarabaeoides Roxb.
Dolichos scarabaeoides L.
Rhynchosia scarabaeoides (L.) DC.
Stizolobium scarabaeoides (L.) Spreng.

Flowers

In flower: March, August to November (from 30 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Shrub
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Lower 48 states: introduced

Photos

FlowerPhoto: chiuluan, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Ian Cowie, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Howard Hontanosas, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Dinesh Valke from Thane, India, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: 葉子, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Dinesh Valke from Thane, India, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: chinmay khanolkar, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: Dinesh Valke from Thane, India, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: branjavao, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: 葉子, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Dinesh Valke from Thane, India, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: branjavao, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF

More in Cajanus

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.