Fabaceae
Dolichos

Dolichos gululu De Wild.

First published in Ann. Mus. Congo Belge, Bot., sér. 4, 1: 65 (1902)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tanzania to S. Tropical Africa. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Erect (rarely procumbent) herb 8–30 cm tall, arising from a perennial woody rootstock to 30 × 20 cm, usually flowering before the leaves appear.
Morphology Stem
Stems annual, unbranched or slightly branched at the base, glabrescent to densely spreading pubescent.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 1-foliolate; leaflet 12–60 × 8–35 cm, elliptic, apex acute, base attenuate or rounded, glabrous to densely pubescent; petiole 2–5 mm long; stipules 1–1.8 cm long, ovate to narrowly lanceolate, leafy; stipels 2–3 mm long, filiform.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers axillary, in 6–14-flowered fascicles; pedicels 8–31 mm long, slender, glabrous or pubescent; bracts 10–22 × 3–7 mm, broadly ovate, striate; bracteoles 3–12 mm long, filiform.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx glabrous or hirsute; tube 3–5 mm long; lower lobes 2–5 mm long, upper pair fused for almost all of their length.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard cream, bluish-pink or mauve, sometimes purple inside, 13–25 × 10–20 mm, rounded-obovate or elliptic; wings white, cream-coloured or mauve; keel white, sometimes tipped mauve.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary 9–12 mm long, linear-oblong, compressed, glabrous or sparsely pubescent on lateral surfaces, ciliate on margins; style 5–8 mm long; stigma minute, terminal, capitate, penicillate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods 4.8–6.8 × 0.8–1.4 cm, linear-oblong, held erect, glabrous on the surfaces but sparsely ciliate along the somewhat thickened margins, 2–7-seeded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds black, 5–6 × 5–6 × 2–5 mm, globose or compressed; aril minute.
[FZ]

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

Morphology General Habit
Perennial herb 8–30 cm. tall from a very large woody rootstock up to 30 cm. long and 20 cm. wide.
Morphology Stem
Flowering stems nearly always appearing before the leaves, erect or rarely procumbent, simple or sparsely branched at the base, glabrescent to densely spreading hairy.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves unifoliolate; leaflet elliptic, attaining very large dimensions, 12–60 cm. long, 8–35 cm. wide, ± acute at the apex, gradually attenuate at the base or in some forms more or less rounded (see note), glabrous to densely hairy, prominently 3-nerved from the base; petiole 2–5 mm. long; stipules ovate to narrowly oblong-lanceolate, 1·2–1·8 cm. long, 5–7 mm. wide, leafy, glabrous or pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers in fascicles or peduncle very short; pedicels slender, 0·9–3 cm. long; bracts stipule-like, ovate to oblong-triangular, 1–2·2 cm. long, 2·5–7·5 mm. wide; bracteoles filiform, 0·3–1·2 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx glabrous or pubescent; tube 3–5 mm. long; lower lobes triangular-lanceolate, 2–5 mm. long, the upper pair joined to form a broad triangular bidentate lip.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard cream with pink or mauve shading or purple inside, yellowish-white outside, rounded-obovate or elliptic, 1·3–2·4 cm. long, 1–2 cm. wide; wings white, pink or mauve; keel cream, sometimes tipped mauve.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods held erect, linear-oblong, (3–)5–7 cm. long, (0·7–) 1–1·4 cm. wide, usually glabrous when mature save for some hairs on the sutures and venation.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds black, globose or sometimes compressed, longest dimension 5–6 mm., shorter dimension 5 mm., 2–5 mm. thick; aril scarcely developed.
Habitat
Grassland and Brachystegia woodland subject to burning; ± 2000 m.
Distribution
T7
[FTEA]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Zambezian woodland, Zambezian 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: confident
[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

  • 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

  • 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