The genus Cajanus is a member of the plant family Fabaceae. There are 37 species, mainly distributed across Africa, Asia and Australasia.
The natural range of Cajanus species includes West Africa, Madagascar and the Comoros, the Indian Subcontinent, Indochina, southern China and Taiwan, Malesia, New Guinea, and northern Australia. Typical habitats include seasonally-dry tropical open forest, woodland, and grassland, often in rocky or disturbed areas. Some species, including Cajanus cajan, have been introduced to the tropical Americas, elswhere in Africa, and to central Asia. [1]
Cajanus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Endoclita malabaricus.