Aspalathus spinifera C.H.Stirt. & Muasya

Species

Angiosperms > Fabales > Fabaceae > Aspalathus

Characteristics

Small shrub to 0.4 m tall, resprouter. Stems multiple, yellowish with bark splitting and sloughing longitudinally, leaf bases shield like, prominent, persistent. Branches erect, arising from near base; young branches densely retrorsely scabrid, whitish but turning brown and flaking with age. Leaflets 10-17 x 0.8-1.0 mm, linear, grooved, slightly flattened on abaxial surface, semi-erect to erect, mostly incurved, glabrous, green, arranged in dense clusters of 3-5 tightly packed on raised black ciliate bases each base with 3-6 leaflets. Inflorescences (1)2(3)-flowered, either axillary or terminating short scabrid lateral shoots or pseudospines; many, scattered along seasonal branches. Flowers 9-10 mm long, bright yellow, shorter than leaves; pedicel 4-5 mm long, scabrid; bracts 4-5 mm long, linear, incurved, inserted one third up the pedicel; bracteoles offset, situated just above bracts, subulate, incurved, densely scabrid on inside calyx 6-7 mm long, campanulate, sparsely appressed scabrid; teeth green, narrowly subulate, 3-4 mm long, equal, clearly demarcated from the yellowish tube, glabrous inside; tube 2.5-3.0 mm long, shorter than teeth. Standard blade 9 x 7 mm, elliptic, emarginate, bright yellow turning orange with age, glabrous on most of the back but densely hairy around the claw, base of front above claw densely hairy; midrib at apex thickened; claw 2 mm, sharply recurved. Wing blades 9 x 2 mm, glabrous, blade linear, notched towards lower apex, glabrous; petal sculpturing obscure, reduced to 1-2 lunate folds in deep pocket near auricle; claw 2 mm, slightly upcurved, ciliate near upper base. Keel petals 8 x 3 mm, blades fused, glabrous but margin near base micropapillate, 5.5 m long, scarcely auriculate, obtuse, with well-developed pocket; claw 2-3 mm long, tapering. Androecium 9 mm long with 5 basifixed and 5 dorsifixed, versatile anthers. Pistil 8.5 mm long; ovary 4 mm long, shaggy on middle areas of side, glabrous along bottom, ovules 2; style upcurved, bent midway, hairy along upper margin halfway to point of inflecture; stigma capitate. Fruits 15-18 x 5 mm, broadly lanceolate, apex attenuate, hairy; seeds unknown. Flowering is from October to February with a peak from December to February.
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Growth form shrub
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Sexuality hermaphrodite
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Mature height (meter) 0.4
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Nitrogen fixer rhizobia
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Soil humidity 4-6
Soil texture 5-6
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Usage

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Cultivation

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Distribution

Aspalathus spinifera world distribution map, present in South Africa

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77154929-1
WFO ID wfo-0001420985
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Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Aspalathus spinifera