Psoralea sordida C.H.Stirt. & Muasya

Species

Angiosperms > Fabales > Fabaceae > Psoralea

Characteristics

Small much-branched decumbent compact post-fire resprouting shrub thereafter reducing with age to 1-2 lanky stems up to 2.5 m tall. Stems erect, virgate, branching in upper parts, grey with large scattered white lenticels; branches stiff, erect, brown. Seasonal shoots densely canescent, dull dark green becoming blackish, then glabrous with age, broom-like, appressed to main stem. Leaves (3)5(7)-foliolate, stiff, filiform, distributed along the branches, semi-erect to spreading, petiolate, smooth, glabrous, channelled on upper surface; leaflets 20-23 x 0.2-0.3 mm, linear lanceolate, terminal leaflet longest, basal pair second longest, three uppermost digitately inserted; petioles 4-6 mm long, shorter than terminal leaflets; rachis 5-10 mm long; stipules 3.0-3.5 x 1 mm, persistent, shorter than petiole, setose, glabrous. Inflorescences axillary, borne in most axils of seasonal shoots, pseudo-spicate, lax, 3-flowers per axil, sessile or pedunculate, pedicellate; peduncles stout and rigid, 2-4 mm long; cupulum trilobed, glabrous or with a few hairs along the margins, lobes unequally developed, lower lobe longest; pedicels 1(2) mm long. Flowers 11-12 mm long, dirty whitish to pale mauve, each subtended by two separate uneven bracts. Calyx 6-7 mm long, tube 3-4 x 4 mm, glabrous, shiny, green to blackish purple; lobes unequally developed, shorter than the tube, broadly triangular, carinal somewhat narrower, vexillar lobes fused for half their length, inner face with stubby black hairs. Standard petal 10 x 10 mm, broadly ovate, apex truncate, dirty whitish to pale mauve with a prominent splaying central purple nectar guide, venation coloured pink; claw 3-4 mm long. Wing petals 10-11 x 3.5-4.5 mm, mauve; sculpturing present, upper surface comprised of 3-4 rows of 9-10 transcostal lamellae near the auricle; claw 4-5 mm long. Keel much shorter than the wing petals, 6-7 x 3 mm, white to pale mauve, apically suffused with dark violet-purple on inner face; claw 4-5 mm long. Androecium 7 mm long, tenth stamen lightly attached adaxially, fenestrate. Pistil 7 mm long, stipe 1 mm long, ovary 1.5 mm, style 5 mm long straight then curved, thickened at the point of flexure, height of curvature 3.5 mm long. Fruits 3-4 x 2.5-3.0 mm, oblong. Seeds 2-3 x 2 mm, dark brown to black.
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Growth form shrub
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Sexuality hermaphrodite
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Mature height (meter) 2.5
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Nitrogen fixer rhizobia
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Environment

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Soil texture 5-6
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Usage

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Edible -
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Cultivation

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Distribution

Psoralea sordida world distribution map, present in South Africa

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77165938-1
WFO ID wfo-0001420983
COL ID -
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Psoralea sordida