Colutea L.

Colutea (en), Baguenaudier (fr)

Genus

Angiosperms > Fabales > Fabaceae

Characteristics

Shrubs. Leaves imparipinnate; stipules small; stipellae absent; leaflets entire, opposite, or some of them subalternate. Flowers few together in axillary racemes; bracts (and bracteoles if present) small. Calyx with 5 sub-equal teeth much shorter than the tube. Corolla over 1 cm. long, glabrous, yellow, reddish or brown; standard spreading, usually with two folds or appendages at the base of the blade; wings falcate-oblong, with short claws and large auricles; keel with long connate claws, the tip somewhat incurved, obtuse, the sides flat. Vexillary filament free, the other 9 united for most of their length, not dilated at the tip; anthers all alike. Disc absent. Ovary stalked, many-ovulate; style thick, incurved at the tip, bearded inside towards the top; stigma large, on the inner surface, facing downwards, surrounded by hairs. Pod inflated, stipitate, splitting near the tip only or indehiscent. Seeds numerous, rather small; funicles about as long as the width of the seed; aril absent.
More
Shrubs or small shrubs. Leaves imparipinnate, rarely 3-foliolate; stipules small; leaflets entire, opposite, estipellate. Racemes axillary, long pedunculate; bract and bracteoles very small or absent. Calyx campanulate; teeth 5, subequal or upper 2 smaller, out­side pubescent. Corolla yellow or brownish red; standard suborbicular, upper part of stalk bicallose; wings narrowly falcate-oblong, with short stalk; keel broad, mostly inrolled, blunt at apex, with long connate stalk. Stamens diadelphous, upper 1 free, other 9 connate to tube; anthers homomorphic. Ovary stipitate; ovules numerous; style incurved, barbate along upper ventral suture; stigma inrolled or hook-curved. Legume inflated, bladderlike, acute or tapering at apex, indehiscent or tip 2-valvate, with long stalk at base, segments membranous. Seeds numerous, reniform, without strophiole; funicle filiform.
Cal-tube hemispheric, slightly oblique, the lobes triangular-acuminate, subequal; standard rotund to reniform; wings and keel-pet strongly auriculate at base, the wings falcate, oblong, the keel up curved; stamens 10, diadelphous, the uppermost one wholly free; ovary elongate; style hairy distally, hooked at the summit; shrubs with odd-pinnate lvs and medium-sized yellow fls in axillary racemes. 25, Old World.
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Growth form shrub
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Sexuality hermaphrodite
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Nitrogen fixer rhizobia
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Hardiness (USDA) 4-9

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Cultivation

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Germination duration (days) 7 - 21
Germination temperacture (C°) 18 - 21
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Germination treatment soaking
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