Desmodium ospriostreblum Chiov.

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Path to Sohwe Falls, Mavhuradonha

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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).

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Flora of Malawi: Desmodium ospriostreblum
Flora of Mozambique: Desmodium ospriostreblum
Flora of Zambia: Desmodium ospriostreblum

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Desmodium ospriostreblum
African Plant Database: Desmodium ospriostreblum
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Desmodium ospriostreblum
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Desmodium ospriostreblum
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Desmodium ospriostreblum
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Desmodium ospriostreblum
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Desmodium ospriostreblum
JSTOR Plant Science: Desmodium ospriostreblum
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Desmodium ospriostreblum
Plants of the World Online: Desmodium ospriostreblum
Tropicos: Desmodium ospriostreblum
Wikipedia: Desmodium ospriostreblum