Psoralea semota C.H.Stirt.

Species

Angiosperms > Fabales > Fabaceae > Psoralea

Characteristics

Multi-stemmed mound-like suffrutex up to 1 m tall and 1.5 m wide. Stems semi-erect to ascending, many, branching at or near the base, spreading laterally and sprawling or arching, rigid. Seasonal shoots pubescent, dark green. Leaves (9)11-13(15)-foliolate, distributed along the branches (at higher elevations branches bare and leaves tightly clustered at tips), patent, petiolate, sparsely pubescent, mucronate; leaflets 8-15 x 0.5-1.5 mm, linear to linear lanceolate; terminal leaflets shortest, basal pair longest, three uppermost pinnately inserted, upper surface of mature leaflets shiny, tips sinuous, glabrescent; petioles 1-2 mm long, shorter than terminal leaflet; rachis 5-7 mm long; stipules 1-2 x 0.5-1 mm persistent, becoming woody with age, shorter or equal in length to petiole, covered with black hairs. Inflorescences axillary, borne along the length of seasonal shoots, pseudo-spicate, lax, one flower per axil, fasciculate, 1-6 flowers per shoot, pedunculate, pedicellate; peduncles flexible, 30-40 mm long, longer than the subtending leaf, densely clothed with patent black hairs; cupulum shallowly bilobed, overlapping the base of the calyx, densely covered with patent black hairs, lobes equally developed, narrowly triangular; pedicels 1-2 mm long, clothed with black hairs. Flowers 12-13 mm long, deep blue. Calyx 5-6 mm long, tube 3-4 x 4 mm, covered with bristly black hairs both within and outside; lobes sub-equally developed, lower lobe slightly longer, lateral straight, triangular, acute, broader than the other four lobes, vexillar lobes fused for up to one third their length, inner face of the lobes covered with black bristle-like hairs. Standard petal 9-10 x 6-8 mm, elliptic, apex acute, deep blue with white striations, dark blue on the margins with nectar guide comprised of two narrowly triangular M-shaped patches, veins darker blue; claw 3-4 mm long. Wing petals 8-9 x 3-3.5 mm, white with purplish violet fading at the tip; claw 3-4 mm long. Keel 9 x 3-3.5 mm wide; claw 4-5 mm long. Androecium 10 mm long, scarcely fenestrate. Pistil 8 mm long, stipitate; ovary 1 mm long, glabrous, sparsely covered in club-shaped glands; style 6 mm long, straight then curved, glabrous, height of curvature 2.5 mm long, thickened at point of flexure. Fruits unknown. Seeds unknown.
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Sexuality hermaphrodite
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Mature height (meter) 1.0
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Nitrogen fixer rhizobia
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Soil texture 5-6
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Cultivation

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Distribution

Psoralea semota world distribution map, present in South Africa

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77165934-1
WFO ID wfo-0001420982
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Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Psoralea semota