Neonotonia J.A.Lackey

First published in Phytologia 37: 210 (1977)
This genus is accepted
The native range of this genus is Tropical & S. Africa, SW. Arabian Peninsula, India, Sri Lanka.

Descriptions

Legumes of the World. Edited by G. Lewis, B. Schrire, B. MacKinder & M. Lock. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. (2005)

Note

Previous accounts of the Phaseoleae by Baudet (1978) and Lackey (1981) recognised 90 and 84 genera and c. 1540 and 1480 species respectively in the tribe. In an equivalent, i.e. traditionally held view of Phaseoleae, 89 genera and (1554)–1567–(1580) species are treated here (Table 9; Fig. 47). Changes between Baudet (1978) and this treatment are that eleven genera are now in synonymy or have subsequently been placed in Millettieae, two genera have been transferred from Desmodieae and eight new genera have been added. Vigna has traditionally been thought to comprise some 150–200 species, but Vigna sens. strict. may contain fewer than 100.

Recent molecular analyses of the tribe, however, have emphasised both the polyphyletic and paraphyletic nature of Phaseoleae as traditionally circumscribed (Bruneau & Doyle, 1990; Doyle & Doyle, 1993; Delgado Salinas et al., 1993; Bruneau et al., 1995; Doyle et al., 1997, 2000; Kajita et al., 2001; Goel et al., 2001; Lee & Hymowitz, 2001). This has required a radical realignment of elements of the phaseoloids (Table 9; Fig. 47), with at least two major clades being evident: Phaseoleae subtribes Diocleinae and Ophrestiinae which together with tribe Abreae are allied to the core-Millettieae (Fig. 45), and the remaining groups comprising a Phaseoleae sens. lat. clade. The rbcL phylogeny of Kajita et al. (2001) and the ITS analysis of Hu et al. (2002) are equivocal as to which clade subtribe Clitoriinae belongs. Phaseoleae sens. lat. also includes two traditionally independent tribes, the Desmodieae and Psoraleeae. Delimiting a recircumscribed Phaseoleae sens. strict is thus very problematic. A solution may be to recognise a broad tribe Phaseoleae, comprising the subtribes Kennediinae, Cajaninae, Phaseolinae and Glycininae, assorted basally branching genera, and tribes Desmodieae and Psoraleeae (both treated at subtribal level).

Three subspecies are recognised in N. wightii (Wight & Arn.) J.A.Lackey; Neonotonia contains species once placed in Glycine; Lackey (1977) notes some species of Pueraria, when better known, may be placed here; Lee & Hymowitz (2001) place Neonotonia and Teyleria in a clade with Pachyrhizus and some Pueraria species, while Doyle et al. (2003) resolved them as sister to Calopogonium
Habit
Scandent or climbing herbs
Ecology
Seasonally dry tropical forest, woodland, thicket, scrub, wooded grassland and grassland, or in cultivation
Distribution
Africa, Arabian Peninsula, Indian subcontinent and Malesia; introduced elsewhere in the Old World
[LOWO]

Leguminosae, B. Mackinder, R. Pasquet, R. Polhill & B. Verdcourt. Flora Zambesiaca 3:5. 2001

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Vexillary stamen joined to the others, at least initially; anthers uniform.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary many-ovuled; style short, slender, slightly incurved, with a small capitate stigma.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod linear-oblong, compressed, somewhat constricted between the seeds.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds oblong, minutely granular to granular, with a small persistent white funicular remnant.
Morphology General Habit
Trailing or climbing perennial herbs from a woody rootstock.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves pinnately 3-foliolate; stipules and stipels present.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence an axillary pseudoraceme, dense or lax; flowers paired or in clusters along the inflorescence axis.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 5-lobed, the two upper lobes joined along much of their length.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla small; standard white, blue-purple or white with a purple blotch inside, obovate to rounded.
[FZ]

Uses

Use
Extensively cultivated as livestock pasture, forage, green manure and ground cover; also used as human food (leaves) and for medicine
[LOWO]

Sources

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
  • Legumes of the World Online

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
  • World Checklist of Vascular plants (WCVP)

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0