Home | > | List of families | > | Fabaceae subfamily Papilionoideae | > | Desmodium | > | ospriostreblum |
Synonyms: |
Anarthrosyne abyssinica Hochst. ex A. Rich. Desmodium abyssinicum (A. Rich.) Hutch. & Dalziel nom. illegit. Desmodium procumbens (Mill.) Hitchc. Desmodium terminale sensu Guill. & Perr. non (L.C. Rich.) DC. Desmodium tortuosum sensu Hepper p.p. non (Sw.) DC. |
Common names: | |
Frequency: | |
Status: | Probably introduced |
Description: |
Procumbent or erect herb, with somewhat angled stems 0.3–1.5 m long, sometimes rooting at the nodes. Leaves 3-foliolate with leaflets elliptic-lanceolate or rhombic-lanceolate, 1.5–7 cm long, usually distinctly pointed and mucronulate at the apex, bristly short hairy on margins and main veins beneath; hairs more scattered above; petiole 0.7–4 cm long; rhachis 4–11 mm long; petiolules 2 mm long; stipules subulate or narrowly lanceolate from a broadened base, 4–6 × 1 mm at the base, shortly hairy. Inflorescences terminal and axillary, 6–14 cm long; peduncle 1.5–3.5 cm long; pedicels 8–12 mm long. Calyx with triangular lobes up to 1 mm long, upper pair joined to form a 2-fid lip, puberulous and with some longer bristly hairs. Standard blue, white or pink, obovate, 4 mm long, notched. Fruits with 5-9 articles up to 9 mm long, elliptic or subtriangular, apical one longest, pubescent particularly on the margins, reticulate; fruiting pedicels sometimes persistent after fruits have fallen. |
Notes: | |
Derivation of specific name: | |
Habitat: | Riverine woodland and thicket, mopane and Brachystegia woodland, mixed woodland and thicket on granite soils. |
Altitude range: (metres) | 300 - 1100 m |
Flowering time: | |
Worldwide distribution: | Probably native to Tropical America but in Africa known from Annobon Island, Cape Verde Islands, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe. |
Zimbabwe distribution: | N,W,E,S |
Growth form(s): | |
Endemic status: | |
Red data list status: | |
Insects associated with this species: | |
Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
Images last updated: | Friday 14 August 2020 |
Literature: |
Drummond, R.B. (1972). A list of Rhodesian Legumes. Kirkia 8(2) Page 219. as Desmodium procumbens Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 47. Verdcourt, B. (2000). Papilionoideae Flora Zambesiaca 3(6) Pages 5 - 11. (Includes a picture). |
Home | > | List of families | > | Fabaceae subfamily Papilionoideae | > | Desmodium | > | ospriostreblum |