Crotalaria luondeensis R.Wilczek

First published in Bull. Jard. Bot. État Bruxelles 23: 209 (1953)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is SE. DR Congo to S. Tanzania and N. Mozambique. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Leguminosae, various authors. Flora Zambesiaca 3:7. 2003

Morphology General Habit
Stems numerous, erect from a woody rootstock, 15–45 cm tall, sometimes developing short branches above, tomentose with long fine twisted hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 3-foliolate; leaflets 10–20 × 1–4 mm, linear-oblanceolate, pointed, tomentose beneath; petiole 1–5 mm long; stipules 0.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes 2–8 cm long, subdensely many-flowered, sometimes a few other flowers in the axils below; bracts 2–4 mm long, linear to linear-lanceolate, a little shorter to a little longer than the pedicel; bracteoles on the pedicel, setaceous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 3.5–5 mm long, tomentose; upper lobes triangular, 1.5–2 times as long as the tube.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard obovate to obovate-circular, yellow, turning orange, medially pubescent to extensively subtomentose outside; wings nearly as long as the keel; keel 7–8 mm long, angular, with a straight twisted beak.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod sessile, 5–6 mm long, ovoid-globose, tomentose, 4–6-seeded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Mature seeds not seen.
[FZ]

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

Morphology General Habit
Perennial with numerous slender stems from a woody rootstock, ascending to 1·5–4·5 dm. tall.
Morphology Stem
Stems simple or ultimately with relatively short flowering branches towards the top, very densely pilose with fine silvery to golden slightly spreading crimped hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 3-foliolate; leaflets linear-oblan-ceolate to oblanceolate, up to 9–20 mm. long and 1–3 mm. wide, pointed, apiculate, mostly folded lengthwise, densely pilose on both surfaces; petiole relatively short, 1–5 mm. long.
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules absent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes sessile, dense, up to 2–8 cm. long, many-flowered and sometimes with a few other flowers in the axils below; bracts linear to linear-lanceolate, 2–4 mm. long, mostly a little shorter than the pedicel; bracteoles inserted on the pedicel, filiform, up to 1–2 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 3·5–5 mm. long, with the tube protracted on the lower side, tomentose; upper lobes triangular, scarcely longer than the tube.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard obovate-orbicular, yellow, turning orange, pubescent medially to rather extensively subtomentose outside; wings scarcely shorter than the keel; keel bent practically at right-angles in the lower third, with a narrow almost straight twisted beak, 7–8 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod sessile, subglobose, ± 6 mm. in diameter, tomentose, ± 4–6-seeded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds unknown.
Habitat
Upland grassland; ± 2600m.
Distribution
T7 T8
[FTEA]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Afromontane grassland
Morphology General Habit
Perennial, Not climbing, Herb
[ILDIS]

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: low confidence
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • Flora Zambesiaca

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

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

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

  • 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