Stylosanthes fruticosa (Retz.) Alston

Shrubby pencilflower (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Fabales > Fabaceae > Stylosanthes

Characteristics

Woody herb or subshrub, sometimes only a short-lived perennial, mostly erect but sometimes prostrate, 0.1–1 m. long or tall; rootstock mostly thick and woody.. Stems pubescent to densely spreading hairy and often with sparse to dense bristles as well, frequently glandular.. Leaflets elliptic or lanceolate, 0.5–3.3 cm. long, 1–9 mm. wide, rounded to acute at both ends, usually pubescent and sparsely to rather densely bristly as well, rarely glabrescent; lateral nerves often conspicuously thickened towards the margins; free part of petiole and rhachis together 0.4–1.5 cm. long; petiolules 0.5 mm. long; stipules 0.8–1.6 cm. long.. Inflorescences dense; rhachis 1–1.5(–4) cm. long; peduncle 0–5.5 cm. long; primary bracts 1.2–2 cm. long, sparsely to densely pubescent and bristly; secondary bracts 4–6 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide; bracteoles 2, 3.5–5 mm. long; plumose axis usually present, 3–10 mm. long.. Receptacle 5–7 mm. long; calyx-lobes oblong, 2.5–3 mm. long, 0.7–1 mm. wide.. Standard creamy-white to orange, with red veins and a red mark near base inside, 5–7 mm. long, 4–5 mm. wide; wings and keel yellow or orange-yellow.. Pods 4–9 mm. long, 1–2-jointed, the articles 3.5–4 mm. long, 2–2.5 mm. wide, usually densely pubescent; beaks 1.5–2.5 mm. long.. Seeds chestnut, compressed-ellipsoid, beaked or pointed near the hilum, shiny, longest dimension 2.5–3 mm., shorter dimension 2–2.5 mm., 1–1.2 mm. thick.. Fig. 62.
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Woody herb or subshrub, sometimes only a short-lived perennial, mostly erect but sometimes prostrate, 0.1-1 m long or tall; rootstock mostly thick and woody. Stems pubescent to densely spreading-hairy and often with sparse to dense bristles as well, frequently glandular. Leaflets 5-33 x 1-9 mm, elliptic or lanceolate, rounded to acute at both ends, usually pubescent and sparsely to rather densely bristly as well, rarely glabrescent; lateral nerves often conspicuously thickened towards the margins; free part of petiole and rhachis together 4-15 mm long; petiolules 0.5 mm long; stipules 8-16 mm long. Inflorescences dense; peduncle 0-5.5 cm long; rhachis 1-1.5(4) cm long; primary bracts 1.2-  long, sparsely to densely pubescent and bristly; secondary bracts 4-6 x 1.5 mm; bracteoles 2, 3.5-5 mm long; plumose axis usually present, 3-10 mm long. Receptacle 5-7 mm long; calyx lobes 2.5-3 x 0.7-1 mm, oblong. Standard creamy-white to orange-coloured, with red veins and a red mark near the base inside, 5-7 x 4-5 mm; wings and keel yellow or orange-yellow. Fruit 4-9 mm long, 1-2-jointed, the articles 3.5-4 x2-2.5 mm, usually densely pubescent; beaks 1.5-2.5 mm long. Seeds chestnut-brown, shiny, 2.5-3 x 2-2.5 x 1-1.2 mm, compressed-ellipsoid, beaked or pointed near the hilum.
A woody herb or small shrub. It grows up to 1 m tall. It can be erect or lie along the ground. It has a thick woody rootstock. The leaflets are 1-3.3 cm long by 1-9 mm wide. They can be hairy. The flowers are in a dense group. They are white to orange and with red veins. The pods are 4-9 mm long and have 1 or 2 joints. The seeds are chestnut brown and 3 mm long.
Leaflets 5–33 × 1–9 mm, elliptic or lanceolate, rounded to acute at both ends, usually pubescent and sparsely to rather densely bristly as well, rarely glabrescent; lateral nerves often conspicuously thickened towards the margins; free part of petiole and rhachis together 4–15 mm long; petiolules 0.5 mm long; stipules 8–16 mm long.
Inflorescences dense; peduncle 0–5.5 cm long; rhachis 1–1.5(4) cm long; primary bracts 1.2–2 cm long, sparsely to densely pubescent and bristly; secondary bracts 4–6 × 1.5 mm; bracteoles 2, 3.5–5 mm long; plumose axis usually present, 3–10 mm long.
Woody herb or subshrub, sometimes only a short-lived perennial, mostly erect but sometimes prostrate, 0.1–1 m long or tall; rootstock mostly thick and woody.
Standard creamy-white to orange-coloured, with red veins and a red mark near the base inside, 5–7 × 4–5 mm; wings and keel yellow or orange-yellow.
Stems pubescent to densely spreading-hairy and often with sparse to dense bristles as well, frequently glandular.
Fruit 4–9 mm long, 1–2-jointed, the articles 3.5–4 × 2–2.5 mm, usually densely pubescent; beaks 1.5–2.5 mm long.
Seeds chestnut-brown, shiny, 2.5–3 × 2–2.5 × 1–1.2 mm, compressed-ellipsoid, beaked or pointed near the hilum.
Receptacle 5–7 mm long; calyx lobes 2.5–3 × 0.7–1 mm, oblong.
Life form perennial
Growth form
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention -
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.31 - 1.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) 1.5
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer rhizobia
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a tropical plant. It grows up to 1,700 m above sea level.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture 5-6
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

Usage

Uses animal food environmental use experimental purposes fodder food forage medicinal non-vertebrate poison pasture poison
Edible -
Therapeutic use Aphrodisiac (unspecified), Cold (unspecified), Diarrhea (unspecified), Fumitory (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) 25 - 30
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Leaf

Stylosanthes fruticosa leaf picture by Maarten Vanhove (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Stylosanthes fruticosa flower picture by Maarten Vanhove (cc-by-sa)
Stylosanthes fruticosa flower picture by Maarten Vanhove (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Stylosanthes fruticosa world distribution map, present in Angola, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Botswana, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, India, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Malawi, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Senegal, Somalia, Chad, Togo, Thailand, Tanzania, United Republic of, Uganda, United States of America, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:519669-1
WFO ID wfo-0000176343
COL ID 53B46
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID 706846
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Stylosanthes fruticosa Hedysarum hamatum Stylosanthes mucronata Stylosanthes bojeri Stylosanthes flavicans Stylosanthes setosa Arachis fruticosa Stylosanthes aprica Stylosanthes suborbiculata Stylosanthes suborbicularis