Natural hybridization among wild, weedy and cultivated Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.

Abstract

As is the case with many cultivated species, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. has a wild form growing in secondary forests and derived savannahs and a companion weed form adapted to disturbed habitats such as roadside ditches and fields. Evidence of introgressive hybridization between weedy and cultivated forms has been presented. The zone of extensive natural hybridization corresponds to the cultivation area in northern Nigeria and Niger and may well extend to Upper Volta and Senegal. The pattern of distribution of wild and weedy forms, the extent of introgression and ethnobotanical evidence strongly suggest West Africa as the center of domestication for V. unguiculata. © 1975 H. Veenman En Zonen B.V.