Aeschynomene nodulosa (Baker) Baker f.

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

Morphology General Habit

Aromatic shrub 1.2–6 m tall; bark brown, lenticellate.

Morphology Stem

Stems densely covered with short glandular tubercular-based hairs, or more rarely glabrous and glaucous; older stems appearing jointed at the nodes due to the scars formed by the deciduous stipules, glabrescent, often quite nodular due to remnants of petiole bases.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves 8–32-foliolate; leaflets 3–18 × (1.5)2–6 mm, narrowly oblong or linear-oblong, rounded or subtruncate and mucronulate at the apex, slightly subcordate at the base, glabrous or at the most slightly ciliolate when young; lateral nerves visible beneath; petiole and rhachis (1.5)4–8 cm long, with hairs like the stem or glabrous; petiolules c. 0.5 mm long; stipules conspicuous, 7–22 × 3–7 mm, ovate to oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, glabrous or pubescent, soon deciduous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Racemes axillary, in upper leaves, many-flowered, mostly overtopping the terminal bud and forming a large branched terminal inflorescence, (2)5–14 cm long, densely hairy like the stem or glabrous; peduncles (0.5)2–3 cm long, pedicels 9–16 mm long, both similarly hairy or glabrous; bracts 2–3-fid, 3–6.5 × 2–4 mm, oblong, very soon deciduous; bracteoles 4.5–7 × 2–4 mm, narrowly ovate, glabrous or minutely pubescent towards the apex, soon deciduous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx reddish, glabrous or minutely pubescent towards the apex, 2-lipped; lips 10–13 × 6–8 mm, oblong or oblong-elliptic, one ± entire, the other 3-fid.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Standard yellow or orange-yellow with red veins, 10–16 × 9–14 mm, broadly elliptic; wings orange-yellow, paler at the base, streaked red at the apex, free; keel pale yellow, sometimes veined.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit of 3–6(7) articles joined by narrow necks, each article semicircular, 5–8 × 4–6 mm, compressed, shortly pubescent with tubercular-based hairs, or glabrous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds yellow-brown to deep reddish-brown, 3.6–4 × 2.5–2.8 × 1.5–2 mm, oblong-reniform; hilum eccentric.

Morphology General Indumentum

Like other species in this group it varies in indumentum from glabrous to densely pubescent with glandular tubercular-based hairs.

Note

Since the glabrous variety has been given a name it has been retained here.