Aeschynomene nilotica Taub.

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/136661687/136661697

Conservation

LC - least concern

Leguminosae, B. Verdcourt. Flora Zambesiaca 3:6. 2000

Morphology General Habit

Shrubby herb or small shrub, 1–2.5 m tall, floating in deep water but rooting in the soil when in shallow water, the lower stems thick, hollow, covered densely with adventitious roots and black tubercles.

Morphology Stem

Young stems slightly pubescent or glabrescent, but soon becoming almost or quite glabrous.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves 24–80-foliolate; leaflets 5–25 × 1–5 mm, linear or linear-oblong, rounded and mucronulate at the apex, oblique at the base, entire or very finely serrulate, margins often ciliolate, glabrous; venation obscure; petiole and rhachis 4–20 cm long, slightly pubescent with tubercular-based hairs; petiolules 0.5 mm long; stipules 5–20 × 1–4 mm, lanceolate, straight, spurred, at length deciduous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences axillary, 3–8-flowered, peduncle up to 2 cm long, pubescent with tubercular-based hairs; rhachis 1–8 cm long; pedicels 0.5–1(2.3 in fruit) cm long; bracts 3–6 × 2–3 mm, ovate; bracteoles 3–8 × 2–4.5 mm, ovate-elliptic, ciliolate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx glabrescent or somewhat pubescent with tubercular-based hairs, 2-lipped; lips 7–13 × 3–6 mm, oblong, somewhat unequal, one entire or slightly emarginate, the other 3-lobed.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Standard yellow or greenish-yellow, 11–25 × 1–28 mm, rounded, emarginate, crenellate, glabrous; wings greenish-yellow, irregularly crenellate; keel petals greenish or brown, laciniate along their lower margins.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit 2–8.5 cm long excluding the 0.8–1.5(2) cm stipe, linear, straight, 4–9-jointed, glabrous, the margins straight or slightly constricted between the joints; articles 8–10 × 6–7 mm, rounded-oblong, compressed, at first venulose, later often sparsely and finely verrucose.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds dark reddish-brown, 7 × 4 × 1 mm, compressed ellipsoid-reniform; hilum 3 mm long, oblong, the seed-end canoe-shaped beyond it.

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation

Not Threatened

Ecology

Africa: Sudanian freshwater swamp and aquatic vegetation, Zambezian freshwater swamp and aquatic vegetation

Morphology General Habit

Annual, Not climbing, Herb/Shrub

Papilionaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:2. 1958

Morphology General Habit

Stem thick and pithy up to 5 ft.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers yellow

Ecology

In swamps.

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

Morphology General Habit

Shrubby herb or small shrub, 1–2.5 m. tall, floating in deep water but footing in the soil when in shallow water, the lower stems thick, hollow, covered densely with adventitious roots and black tubercles.

Morphology Stem

Young stems slightly pubescent or glabrescent, but soon becoming almost or quite glabrous.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves 24–80-foliolate; leaflets linear or linear-oblong, 0.5–2.5 cm. long, 1–5 mm. wide, rounded and mucronulate at the apex, oblique at the base, entire or very finely serrulate, margins often ciliolate, glabrous; venation obscure; petiole and rhachis 4–20 cm. long, slightly pubescent with tubercular-based hairs; petiolules 0.5 mm. long; stipules lanceolate, straight, spurred, 0.5–2 cm. long, 1–4 mm. wide, at length deciduous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences axillary, 3–8-flowered; rhachis 1–8 cm. long; peduncle up to 2 cm. long, pubescent with tubercular-based hairs; pedicels 0.5–1(–2.3 in fruit) cm. long; bracts ovate, 3–6 mm. long, 2–3 mm. wide; bracteoles ovate-elliptic, 3–8 mm. long, 2–4.5 mm. wide, ciliolate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx glabrescent or somewhat pubescent with tubercular-based hairs, 2-lipped, the lips oblong, somewhat unequal, 0.7–1.3 cm. long, 3–6 mm. wide, one entire or slightly emarginate, the other 3-lobed.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Standard yellow or greenish-yellow, rounded, 1.1–2.5 cm. long, 1–2.8 cm. wide, emarginate, crenellate, glabrous; wings greenish-yellow, irregularly crenellate; keel-petals greenish or brown, laciniate along their lower margins.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pods linear, straight, 4–8.5 cm. long excluding the 0.8–1.5(–2) cm. stipe, 4–9-jointed, glabrous, the margins straight or slightly constricted between the joints; articles rounded-oblong, 8–10 mm. long, 6–7 mm. wide, compressed, at first venulose, later often sparsely and finely verrucose.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds dark reddish-brown, compressed ellipsoid-reniform, longest dimension 7 mm., shorter dimension 4 mm., 1 mm. thick; hilum oblong, 3 mm. long, the seed-end canoe-shaped beyond it.

Habitat

Presumably wet places in wooded grassland or bush; ± 1350 m.

Distribution

Mali to Sudan, Cameroun, Congo, Zambia and South West Africa T1