Fabaceae
Biserrula

Biserrula pelecinus L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 762 (1753)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Macaronesia, Medit. to Arabian Peninsula and Tanzania. It is an annual and grows primarily in the subtropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
An annual ± pilose herb up to 40 cm. tall.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves imparipinnate; stipules rather papery, ovate-lanceolate, entire, up to 4 mm. long and 2·5 mm. wide; rhachis up to 12 cm. long; leaflets usually opposite in 5–9 pairs, elliptic-oblong, up to 10 mm. long and 5 mm. wide, cuneate at the base, notched at the apex, pilose beneath, glabrous above.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes axillary, rather dense, shorter than the subtending leaf, 1–11-flowered, the peduncle up to 3 cm. long; bracts linear-lanceolate, 1–2 mm. long; pedicels 1 mm. long, spreading in fruit.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx green, stiffly pilose, the hairs often black; tube ± 1·5 mm. long; teeth subequal, linear-lanceolate, ±1·5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla bluish or reddish, glabrous; standard elliptic-oblong, cuneate at the base, without appendages, ± 5 mm. long and 3 mm. wide; blade of wing ±3×1 mm., auriculate, slightly pouched; claw 1·5 mm. long; blade of keel ± 3 ×1·5 mm., pouched, auricle ± 1 mm. long; claw 1·5–2 mm.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Only 5 stamens fertile, the vexillary stamen, where present, free and reduced to a straight sterile staminode; filament-sheath 3 mm. long, free parts 0·7 mm., those of the 4 alternate sterile stamens much reduced or absent; anthers 0·3 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary glabrous or appressed pubescent, ± 3 mm. long and 0·8 mm. wide, divided longitudinally by a vertical septum; ovules 5–10 on each side; style glabrous, curved, 0·7 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod shortly (± 1 mm.) stipitate, glabrous or appressed pubescent, brown, indehiscent, oblong, flat, with a crest at each side which is usually coarsely toothed, up to 35 mm. long and 7 mm. across from crest to crest, narrower at the septum (which is only 0·3 mm. wide) than on each side (± 1 mm.).
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds yellowish-brown, ± sculptured, deeply and narrowly notched at the hilum, ± 1·8 × 1·8 × 0·8 mm.
[FTEA]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Morphology General Habit
Annual, Not climbing, Herb
[ILDIS]

Uses

Use
Forage
[ILDIS]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • International Legume Database and Information Service

    • International Legume Database and Information Service (ILDIS) V10.39 Nov 2011
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • 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

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • 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