Rhynchosia Lour.

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

Morphology General Habit

Climbing prostrate or sometimes erect herbs or subshrubs, rarely pyrophytic.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves 1-foliolate or pinnately, rarely subdigitately, 3-foliolate (bipinnate in one South African species); leaflets usually with very conspicuous resinous gland dots beneath; stipules present; stipels very small.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences axillary or terminal, racemose or paniculate, the flowers rarely solitary; bracts present, often well developed; bracteoles absent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 5-lobed; lobes unequal, the upper pair ± joined.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla small or medium sized, frequently yellow lined with brownish-purple; standard with small auricles, but without or with only traces of appendages or calli, glabrous or hairy.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Vexillary stamen free; anthers uniform.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Ovary (1)2-ovuled, often velvety; style mostly long, tenuous and mostly hairy on the lower part, incurved, glabrous, somewhat flattened and usually stiffened above; stigma small, terminal.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pods almost circular to narrowly oblong, often falcate, compressed, frequently glandular and velvety.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds reddish-brown, black or sometimes bright blue, compressed-globose or subreniform; hilum rounded to elongate, lateral, short, or at least never extending for more than a quarter of the periphery; rim aril obsolete to well developed, but mostly absent in African species, (except in a few cases, as in section Nomismia for example).

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit

Climbing, prostrate or sometimes erect herbs or subshrubs

Morphology Leaves

Leaves pinnately, rarely subdigitately, 3-foliolate, or 1-foliolate; leaflets with yellow or orange gland-dots at least beneath

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences axillary or terminal, racemose or paniculate, flowers spreading; bracteoles absent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 5-lobed; lobes unequal, the upper pair ± joined

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla usually yellow, lined purplish

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Vexillary stamen free; anthers uniform

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary (1–)2-ovuled; style glabrous and usually stiffened above; stigma small

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pod almost circular to narrowly oblong, compressed, pubescent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 1–2 with rounded to shortly elongate hilum; funicle inserted at middle of hilum.

Distribution

Some 250 species throughout the tropics and subtropics.

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

Vernacular

rosary bean

Habit

Herbs, vines or subshrubs

Ecology

Seasonally dry forest, forest margins, woodland, thicket, wooded grassland, shrubland and grassland, often in open rocky areas or along streams and in disturbed areas; many species are pyrophytes

Distribution

pantropical (c. 140 spp. in Africa-Madagascar; c. 55 endemic spp. in tropical and subtropical America [c. 28 spp. in N and C America, 20 in S America and 6 widespread between both] and c. 30-35 spp. in warm temperate to tropical Asia to N Australia [2 endemic spp.])

Note

Placed in subtribe Cajaninae, allied to Eriosema; leaves of R. ferulifolia Benth. ex Harv. from the Cape region of South Africa are unusual in being apparently bipinnate, or once pinnate with 5-9 leaflets compared to the pinnately 3-foliolate condition in the rest of the genus

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).

Leguminosae, J. B. Gillett, R. M. Polhill & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1971

Morphology General Habit

Climbing, prostrate or sometimes erect herbs or subshrubs, rarely pyrophytic

Morphology Leaves

Leaves 1-foliolate or pinnately, rarely subdigitately, 3-foliolate, bipinnate in one South African species; leaflets with usually very conspicuous resinous gland-dots beneath; stipules present; stipels very small

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences axillary or terminal, racemose or paniculate, the flowers rarely solitary; bracts present, often well developed; bracteoles absent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 5-lobed; lobes unequal, the upper pair ± joined

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla small or medium-sized, frequently yellow lined with brownish-purple; standard with small auricles, but without or with only traces of appendages or calli, glabrous or hairy

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Vexillary stamen free; anthers uniform

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Ovary (1–)2-ovuled, often velvety; style mostly long, tenuous and mostly hairy beneath, incurved, glabrous, somewhat flattened and usually stiffened above; stigma small, terminal

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pods almost circular to narrowly oblong, compressed, often falcate, frequently glandular and velvety

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds reddish-brown, black or sometimes bright blue, compressed-globose or subreniform; hilum rounded to elongate, lateral, short, or at least never extending more than a quarter of the periphery; rim-aril obsolete to well developed but mostly absent in African species, save for a few, e.g. in sect. Nomismia.

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).

This species group and their relationship to Rhynchosia are in need of revision; the genus has been included in Rhynchosia in South African literature, e.g., Germishuizen (2000)

Habit

Subshrubs or herbs

Ecology

Mediterranean sclerophyllous shrubland (fynbos) on sandstone slopes

Distribution

South Africa (S parts of W Cape)