Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
#Dlium Matchbox Bean (Entada phaseoloides) is a species in the Fabaceae family, a large woody liana with stems up to 18 cm in diameter, dark brown, rough bark, laterally flattened, and spirally twisted.
The leaves are bipinnate, up to 25 cm long, with 1-2 pairs of minor leaflets, each divided into 1-2 pairs of pinnules. The pinnules are somewhat leathery, asymmetrical or oblique, up to 10 cm long and 5 cm wide.
The inflorescence is a spike-shaped, about 25-30 cm long, bearing numerous sessile flowers. The individual flowers are very small, about 1.2 mm in diameter. The five petals, green with reddish bases, are 3-4 mm long, and the stamens are about 7 mm long.
The fruit is a very large, flattened, woody pod or capsule, about 1-1.2 m long and 12 cm wide. It is usually slightly curved and linear, with about 12 segments, each containing a single seed. The seeds are lens-shaped, shiny brown, smooth, 5-6 cm wide and 1-1.5 cm thick.
Filipinos used gugo before commercial shampoos were available in stores. This shampoo is obtained by soaking and rubbing the bark of the stem, producing a lather that cleanses the scalp. It is also used as an ingredient in hair tonics. This plant contains saponins, triterpenes, and phenolic compounds. Gugo prevents hair loss by stimulating microcirculation in the blood vessels.
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Mimosoideae
Tribe: Mimoseae
Genus: Entada
Species: Entada phaseoloides
Publications:
Banks, R.C. (ed.) (1982). Wildlife and wildlife habitat of American Samoa 2: 1-151. U.S. Fisch and Wildlife services, Washington.
Choudhary, R.K., Srivastava, R.C., Das, A.K. & Lee, J. (2012). Floristic diversity assessment and vegetation analysis of Upper Siang district of eastern Himalaya in North East India. Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy 42: 222-246.
Fosberg, F.R., Sachet, M.-H., Oliver, R. (1979). A geographical checklist of the Micronesian Dicotyledonae. Micronesica; Journal of the College of Guam 15: 41-295.
Govaerts, R. (2001). World Checklist of Seed Plants Database in ACCESS Genera starting with letter E-F: 1-50919.
Hallé, N. (1980). Les Orchidees de Tubuai (archipel des Australes, Sud Polynesie), suivies d'un catalogue des plantes a fleurs et fougeres des iles Australes. Cahiers de l'Indo-Pacifique 2(3): 69-130.
Iwatsuki, K., Boufford, D.E. & Ohba, H. (eds.) (2001). Flora of Japan IIb: 1-550. Kodansha Ltd., Tokyo.
Lepschi, B. & Monro, A. (Project Coordinators) (2014). Australian Plant Census (APC) Council of Heads of Australian Herbaria.
Leroy, J.-F. & Mackee, H.S. (eds.) (1983). Flore de la Nouvelle-Calédonie et Dépendances 12: 1-139. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris.
Lock, J.M. & Ford, C.S. (2004). Legumes of Malesia a Check-List: 1-295. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Lock, J.M. & Heald, J. (1994). Legumes of Indo-China a check-list: 1-164. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Meyer, J.-Y. (2017). Guide des plantes de Wallis et Futuna: 1-486. Au vent des iles, editions, Tahiti.
Morat, P. & Veillon, J.-M. (1985). Contributions à la conaissance de la végétation et de la flore de Wallis et Futuna. Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle. Section B, Adansonia 7: 259-329.
Plunkett, G.M., Ranker, T.A., Sam, C. & Balick, M.J. (2022). Towards a checklist of the vascular flora of Vanuatu. Candollea 77: 105-118.
Tateishi, Y., Wakita, N. & Kajita, T. (2008). Taxonomic revision of the genus Entada (Leguminosae) in the Ryukyu Islands, Japan. Acta Phytotaxonomica et Geobotanica 59: 194-210.
Wagner, W.L., Herbst, D.R. & Sohmer, S.H. (1999). Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai'i, rev. ed., 1: 1-988. University of Hawai'i Press, Bishop Museum Press.
Whistler, W.A. (2022). Flora of Samoa Flowering Plants: 1-930. National Tropical Botanicl Garden. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
Wu, Z. & Raven, P.H. (eds.) (2010). Flora of China 10: 1-642. Science Press (Beijing) & Missouri Botanical Garden Press (St. Louis).
Zhu, X.Y., Zhang, R.P. & He, Y.L. (eds.) (2021). An inventory of legume species diversity of Myanmar: 1-297. China Minzu university press.
Chinese (simplified): 榼藤
Chinese (traditional): 鴨腱藤 - 恆春鴨腱藤 - 榼藤 - 過江龍
English: Matchbox Bean, Sea Bean, St. Thomas Bean
Filipino: Gugo, Balugo, Tamayan
Hong Kong: 榼藤、過江龍
Indonesian: Gugo, Bugo, Bingkek
Japanese: ヒメモダマ - コウシュンモダマ
Malay: Langir
Palauan: Kesebekuu
Polish: osmoka fasolowata
Slovak: entada fazuľovitá
Taiwan: 恆春鴨腱藤
Vietnamese: bàm bàm
Learn more: dlium.com/2025/12/matchbox-bean-entada-phaseoloides.html
Location: Semanu, Gunung Kidul Regency, Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia.
Aryo Bandoro
Dlium TheDlium
Web: dlium.com
#Dlium Matchbox Bean (Entada phaseoloides) is a species in the Fabaceae family, a large woody liana with stems up to 18 cm in diameter, dark brown, rough bark, laterally flattened, and spirally twisted.
The leaves are bipinnate, up to 25 cm long, with 1-2 pairs of minor leaflets, each divided into 1-2 pairs of pinnules. The pinnules are somewhat leathery, asymmetrical or oblique, up to 10 cm long and 5 cm wide.
The inflorescence is a spike-shaped, about 25-30 cm long, bearing numerous sessile flowers. The individual flowers are very small, about 1.2 mm in diameter. The five petals, green with reddish bases, are 3-4 mm long, and the stamens are about 7 mm long.
The fruit is a very large, flattened, woody pod or capsule, about 1-1.2 m long and 12 cm wide. It is usually slightly curved and linear, with about 12 segments, each containing a single seed. The seeds are lens-shaped, shiny brown, smooth, 5-6 cm wide and 1-1.5 cm thick.
Filipinos used gugo before commercial shampoos were available in stores. This shampoo is obtained by soaking and rubbing the bark of the stem, producing a lather that cleanses the scalp. It is also used as an ingredient in hair tonics. This plant contains saponins, triterpenes, and phenolic compounds. Gugo prevents hair loss by stimulating microcirculation in the blood vessels.
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Mimosoideae
Tribe: Mimoseae
Genus: Entada
Species: Entada phaseoloides
Publications:
Banks, R.C. (ed.) (1982). Wildlife and wildlife habitat of American Samoa 2: 1-151. U.S. Fisch and Wildlife services, Washington.
Choudhary, R.K., Srivastava, R.C., Das, A.K. & Lee, J. (2012). Floristic diversity assessment and vegetation analysis of Upper Siang district of eastern Himalaya in North East India. Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy 42: 222-246.
Fosberg, F.R., Sachet, M.-H., Oliver, R. (1979). A geographical checklist of the Micronesian Dicotyledonae. Micronesica; Journal of the College of Guam 15: 41-295.
Govaerts, R. (2001). World Checklist of Seed Plants Database in ACCESS Genera starting with letter E-F: 1-50919.
Hallé, N. (1980). Les Orchidees de Tubuai (archipel des Australes, Sud Polynesie), suivies d'un catalogue des plantes a fleurs et fougeres des iles Australes. Cahiers de l'Indo-Pacifique 2(3): 69-130.
Iwatsuki, K., Boufford, D.E. & Ohba, H. (eds.) (2001). Flora of Japan IIb: 1-550. Kodansha Ltd., Tokyo.
Lepschi, B. & Monro, A. (Project Coordinators) (2014). Australian Plant Census (APC) Council of Heads of Australian Herbaria.
Leroy, J.-F. & Mackee, H.S. (eds.) (1983). Flore de la Nouvelle-Calédonie et Dépendances 12: 1-139. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris.
Lock, J.M. & Ford, C.S. (2004). Legumes of Malesia a Check-List: 1-295. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Lock, J.M. & Heald, J. (1994). Legumes of Indo-China a check-list: 1-164. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Meyer, J.-Y. (2017). Guide des plantes de Wallis et Futuna: 1-486. Au vent des iles, editions, Tahiti.
Morat, P. & Veillon, J.-M. (1985). Contributions à la conaissance de la végétation et de la flore de Wallis et Futuna. Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle. Section B, Adansonia 7: 259-329.
Plunkett, G.M., Ranker, T.A., Sam, C. & Balick, M.J. (2022). Towards a checklist of the vascular flora of Vanuatu. Candollea 77: 105-118.
Tateishi, Y., Wakita, N. & Kajita, T. (2008). Taxonomic revision of the genus Entada (Leguminosae) in the Ryukyu Islands, Japan. Acta Phytotaxonomica et Geobotanica 59: 194-210.
Wagner, W.L., Herbst, D.R. & Sohmer, S.H. (1999). Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai'i, rev. ed., 1: 1-988. University of Hawai'i Press, Bishop Museum Press.
Whistler, W.A. (2022). Flora of Samoa Flowering Plants: 1-930. National Tropical Botanicl Garden. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
Wu, Z. & Raven, P.H. (eds.) (2010). Flora of China 10: 1-642. Science Press (Beijing) & Missouri Botanical Garden Press (St. Louis).
Zhu, X.Y., Zhang, R.P. & He, Y.L. (eds.) (2021). An inventory of legume species diversity of Myanmar: 1-297. China Minzu university press.
Chinese (simplified): 榼藤
Chinese (traditional): 鴨腱藤 - 恆春鴨腱藤 - 榼藤 - 過江龍
English: Matchbox Bean, Sea Bean, St. Thomas Bean
Filipino: Gugo, Balugo, Tamayan
Hong Kong: 榼藤、過江龍
Indonesian: Gugo, Bugo, Bingkek
Japanese: ヒメモダマ - コウシュンモダマ
Malay: Langir
Palauan: Kesebekuu
Polish: osmoka fasolowata
Slovak: entada fazuľovitá
Taiwan: 恆春鴨腱藤
Vietnamese: bàm bàm
Learn more: dlium.com/2025/12/matchbox-bean-entada-phaseoloides.html
Location: Semanu, Gunung Kidul Regency, Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia.
Aryo Bandoro
Dlium TheDlium
Web: dlium.com
