Philenoptera violacea (Klotzsch) Schrire

Apple-leaf (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Fabales > Fabaceae > Philenoptera

Characteristics

Deciduous tree up to 18 m tall; crown rounded; bark greyish, shallow-fissured, flaking off in scales. Young parts pale grey-subsericeous; branchlets slightly striate or terete, bark grey to brownish, thinly puberulous, glabrescent. Leaves up to 28 cm long, imparipinnate; petiole 3.5-9 cm long; rachis 3-10 cm long, puberulous-glabrescent; petiolules 2-6 mm long; leaflets 3-5, the terminal much larger than the laterals; lamina (3)4-13(16.5) x 3-6(9) cm, ovate to elliptic or narrowly elliptic or oblong-obovate, rounded to obtuse or subacuminate-acute at the apex, rounded to broadly obtuse or cuneate at the base, leathery or subcoriaceous, light green on upper surface, paler and thinly tomentellous-glabrescent beneath; lateral nerves in 4-7 pairs, this and the reticulation slightly prominent beneath; stipules 3-6 mm long, falling early; stipels filiform, 1.5-4 mm long, often falling early. Inflorescence a terminal panicle 10-25 cm long, thinly pubescent-glabrescent; bracts c.1.5 mm long; bracteoles smaller, caducous. Flowers 9-11 mm long; pedicels 2-5 mm long. Calyx 4-5 mm long, somewhat asymmetric at the base, thinly pubescent, the upper tooth-pair obtuse to shallowly lobed, the lateral teeth triangular, c.2 mm long, obtuse or rounded, the lower one narrowly triangular, acute, 2-4 mm long. Standard 10.5-12.5 mm long, broadly obovate, with nectariferous calluses towards the base, narrowly decurrent into the 2-2.5 mm long claw; wings oblong-obovate, 10-12 x 2.5-4 mm, auricle obtuse, claw 2.5-3.5 mm long; keel petals 9-11 x 3.5-6 mm, with subacute auricle, claw 2-3.5 mm long. Stamen sheath 6-9 mm long. Ovary 3-5-ovulate, silky-pubescent; stipe c.1.5 mm long; style glabrous. Pod 1-3-seeded, 8-18 x 1.8-3.5 cm, leathery, thinly velutinous, glabrescent, somewhat reticulate or smooth over the seeds, attenuate-acute at the apex, cuneate to narrowed at the base; stipe 1-4 mm long; wing along upper margin 1-3 mm broad. Seed 12-15 x 6-8 x 2.5-3 mm, reniform; testa reddish-brown, smooth.
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A small to medium-sized tree with a rather sparse, rounded crown, reaching 10 m in height. Bark: creamy brown or light grey-brown, smooth to cracked and rather flaking; a red, sticky sap exudes from wounds. Leaves: with 1 or 2 pairs of opposite leaflets plus a large terminal one; leaflets oblong to ovate, 4-15 x 2.5-7.5 cm, grey-green, densely velvety when young, losing most of these hairs at maturity, 4-7 pairs of lateral veins; apex broadly tapering to rounded, with a fine, hair-like tip; base tapering to rounded; margin entire; petiolules short, petiole 3.5-9 cm long, velvety; stipules 3-6 mm long, falling early; stipels (like little horns) on the rachis at the base of the leaflets. Flowers: small, blue to violet, pea-shaped, sweetly fragrant, calyx covered with grey, velvety hairs; produced in terminal sprays up to 30 cm long, before the new leaves. Fruit: a flat, indehiscent pod, 7-15 x 2-3.5 cm, creamy grey, with a narrow rim sometimes wing-like.
A small to medium sized tree that loses its leaves. It grows 18 m tall. The crown is rounded. The bark is grey and has shallow cracks. It flakes off in scales. A red sticky sap comes from wounds. The leaves are 28 cm long. They have leaflets along the stalk with one at the end. There are 3-5 leaflets and the end leaflet is the largest. The leaflets are 13 cm long by 3-6 cm wide. They are narrowly oval and leathery. They are densely velvety when young. The flowers are in a loose branched group at the ends of branches. These are 10-25 cm long. The flowers are 9-11 mm long. The flowers are small and violet or blue. They are pea-shaped. The flowers have a scent. The fruit is a flat pod with 1-3 seeds. It is 8-18 cm long by 2-4 cm wide. It is leathery. The seed is 12-15 mm long by about 3 mm wide and kidney shaped. The covering is smooth and reddish-brown.
Leaves up to 28 cm long, imparipinnate; petiole 3.5–9 cm long; rachis 3–10 cm long, puberulous-glabrescent; petiolules 2–6 mm long; leaflets 3–5, the terminal much larger than the laterals; lamina (3)4–13(16.5) × 3–6(9) cm, ovate to elliptic or narrowly elliptic or oblong-obovate, rounded to obtuse or subacuminate-acute at the apex, rounded to broadly obtuse or cuneate at the base, leathery or subcoriaceous, light green on upper surface, paler and thinly tomentellous-glabrescent beneath; lateral nerves in 4–7 pairs, this and the reticulation slightly prominent beneath; stipules 3–6 mm long, falling early; stipels filiform, 1.5–4 mm long, often falling early.
Standard 10.5–12.5 mm long, broadly obovate, with nectariferous calluses towards the base, narrowly decurrent into the 2–2.5 mm long claw; wings oblong-obovate, 10–12 × 2.5–4 mm, auricle obtuse, claw 2.5–3.5 mm long; keel petals 9–11 × 3.5–6 mm, with subacute auricle, claw 2-3.5 mm long.
Pod 1–3-seeded, 8–18 × 1.8–3.5 cm, leathery, thinly velutinous, glabrescent, somewhat reticulate or smooth over the seeds, attenuate-acute at the apex, cuneate to narrowed at the base; stipe 1–4 mm long; wing along upper margin 1–3 mm broad.
Calyx 4–5 mm long, somewhat asymmetric at the base, thinly pubescent, the upper tooth-pair obtuse to shallowly lobed, the lateral teeth triangular, c.2 mm long, obtuse or rounded, the lower one narrowly triangular, acute, 2–4 mm long.
Young parts pale grey-subsericeous; branchlets slightly striate or terete, bark grey to brownish, thinly puberulous, glabrescent.
Inflorescence a terminal panicle 10–25 cm long, thinly pubescent-glabrescent; bracts c.1.5 mm long; bracteoles smaller, caducous.
Deciduous tree up to 18 m tall; crown rounded; bark greyish, shallow-fissured, flaking off in scales.
Ovary 3–5-ovulate, silky-pubescent; stipe c.1.5 mm long; style glabrous.
Seed 12–15 × 6–8 × 2.5–3 mm, reniform; testa reddish-brown, smooth.
Flowers 9–11 mm long; pedicels 2–5 mm long.
Stamen sheath 6–9 mm long.
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 18.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer rhizobia
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a tropical plant. It often grows along rivers on on flood plains. It grows on Kalahari sands and termite mounds. It grows between 30-1,400 m altitude. It occurs scattered in various types of woodland in medium and low altitudes. It grows in areas with an annual rainfall over 500 mm. It can tolerate drought. It can grow in arid places.
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Characteristic of major river drainage systems, deciduous woodland; wooded grassland; riverine forest; in drier areas often in zones of local water-catchment at base of scarps, along water-courses and on hardpans
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture 5-6
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) -

Usage

The young leaves can be cooked and eaten. The seeds are washed and boiled then eaten.
Uses animal food bee plant environmental use food gene source material medicinal non-vertebrate poison poison social use vertebrate poison wood
Edible leaves seeds
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seeds. Plants need protection from frost when young.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Leaf

Philenoptera violacea leaf picture by Robert Nasi (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Philenoptera violacea fruit picture by Robert Nasi (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Philenoptera violacea world distribution map, present in South Africa

Conservation status

Philenoptera violacea threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:1013771-1
WFO ID wfo-0001034643
COL ID QQ2C
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Capassa violacea Derris violacea Philenoptera violacea