Fabaceae
Eriosema

Eriosema cordatum E.Mey.

First published in Comm. Pl. Afr. Austr.: 128 (1836)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is S. Tropical & S. Africa. It is a perennial or subshrub and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Zanzibar-Inhambane regional transition zone ; woodland.
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]

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

Morphology General Habit
Prostrate, ascending or rarely erect herbs, (5)12–45(60) cm long, from a woody rootstock 15–23 × 1–1.5(?10) cm.
Morphology Stem
Stems densely hairy with ± spreading bristly white or ± ferruginous hairs c. 3 mm long.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 1–3-foliolate, the lower ones often predominently 1-foliolate but sometimes all 3-foliolate; leaflets 4.3–13.3 × 1.7–9 cm, the terminal one elliptic to round ovate or lanceolate, the laterals more obliquely oblong-elliptic, rounded to acute or subacute and shortly mucronate at the apex, rounded to slightly or distinctly cordate at the base, sparsely pilose above and more densely so beneath, discolorous or not; petiole 2–4(7 even 20) mm long; rhachis 1–1.6(2.3) mm long; stipules (4)17(23) × (3)5–12 mm, lanceolate, tapering acute, venose, densely hairy, at first connate at the base but often splitting.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences 2–5.5(10) cm long; peduncle 3–20.5 cm long, hairy as on stems, occasionally with 1–2 stipuliform bracts 8 × 2 mm; floral bracts 9 × 2.5 mm, lanceolate, soon falling; pedicels 1 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers deflexed; calyx pilose, the tube 3.5–5 mm long and lobes 3(7.5) mm long, triangular to triangular-lanceolate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla yellow and brown or red; standard (8)9(12.3) × 7(9) mm excluding the 2–3 mm long claw, obovate; wings 7(11.5) × 3(4) mm excluding the 1–2 mm long claw, oblanceolate-obovate; keel petals 7(8.5) × 2.8(4.5) mm excluding the 1(2.8) mm long claw, oblong-rhombic, very densely gland-dotted at tip.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods blackish, 1.6–1.7 × (0.9)1.1–1.3 cm, oblong-elliptic; seeds black, (3)6 × (2.4)3.5 mm, oblong with pale hilum.
[FZ]

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

  • 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