Fabaceae
Eriosema

Eriosema psoraleoides (Lam.) G.Don

First published in Gen. Hist. 2: 348 (1832)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical & S. Africa, Madagascar. It is a subshrub or shrub 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, branched subshrub or woody herb, 0.75–2.4(3.6) m tall.
Morphology Branches
Branches strongly ribbed, shortly densely brownish hairy, often ± velvety and covered with small orange-red glands.
Morphology Leaves Leaflets
Leaflets 3 or occasionally some lower leaves 1-foliolate, paler beneath, 2.3–9.5 × 0.8–3.5(4) cm, narrowly elliptic, elliptic-oblong or obovate-elliptic, rounded and mucronulate, emarginate or rarely acute at the apex, cuneate, finely to densely velvety pubescent above, velvety beneath, the venation prominent and usually with buff hairs, the rest of the leaflet surface with silvery or ferruginous tomentum or slightly coarser indumentum; petiole 1–5 mm long; rhachis 1–8 mm long; petiolules 1–3 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes many-flowered, terminal and axillary; rhachis (2)6–12 cm long; peduncle 1–3 cm long; pedicels 2 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx appressed pilose or pubescent, usually glandular, 3.5–7 mm long; lobes triangular or narrowly triangular, equalling the tube.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla deep golden-yellow; standard 7–14 mm long, obovate, glabrous or rarely with a few hairs outside, glandular; keel paler yellow, glandular.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods 1.1–1.8 × 0.9–1.1 cm, subcircular, ovate or elliptic-oblong, often oblique, covered with long ferruginous hairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds dark reddish-brown or pinkish-buff with blue-black mottling, shiny, 4.5–5.2 × 2.5–3.5 × 1–1.5 mm; rim aril creamy-brown.
[FZ]

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

Morphology General Habit
Erect, branched subshrub or woody herb, 0·75–2·4(–3·6) m. tall.
Morphology Branches
Branches strongly ribbed, shortly densely brownish hairy, often ± velvety and covered with small orange-red glands.
Morphology Leaves
Leaflets 3, paler beneath, narrowly elliptic, elliptic-oblong or obovate-elliptic, 2·3–9·5 cm. long, 0·8–3·5(–4) cm. wide, rounded and mueronulate, emarginate or rarely acute at the apex, cuneate, finely to densely velvety pubescent above, velvety beneath, the venation prominent and usually with buff hairs, the rest of the leaflet surface with silvery or ferruginous tomentum or slightly coarser indumentum; petiole 1–5 mm. long; rhachis 1–8 mm. long; petiolules 1–3 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes many-flowered, terminal and axillary; rhachis (2–)6–12 cm. long; peduncle 1–3 cm. long; pedicels 2 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx adpressed pilose or pubescent, usually glandular, 3·5–7 mm. long; lobes triangular or narrowly triangular, equalling the tube.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla deep golden-yellow; standard obovate, 0·7–1·4 cm. long, glabrous or rarely with a few hairs outside, glandular; keel paler yellow, glandular.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods suborbicular, oval or oval-oblong, often oblique, 1·1–1·8 cm. long, 0·9–1·1 cm. wide, covered with long ferruginous hairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds dark reddish-brown or pinkish buff with blue-black mottling, shiny, longest dimension 4·5–5·2 mm., shorter dimension 2·5–3·5 mm., 1–1·5 mm. thick; rim-aril creamy brown.
Habitat
Grassland, or grassland with scattered Commiphora, Acacia or Protea, thicket, bushland or sometimes on margins of cultivations; 0–1950 m.
Distribution
K1 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 W. Africa to Sudan, central Africa to South Africa (Transvaal, Natal) and Angola
[FTEA]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Lake Victoria regional transition zone; grasslands, Sudanian anthropic landscapes, Zambezian anthropic landscapes., Guinea-Congolia/Sudania regional transition zone; anthropic landscapes., Lake Victoria regional mosaic; wooded grassland, Guinea-Co
Morphology General Habit
Perennial, Not climbing, Herb/Shrub
Vernacular
Ambarivatrindolo, Ambatombohitra, Ambatridry, Ambatrimbohitra, Ambatrindolo, Ambaty, Amberivatrindolo, Amborivatindolo, Asotryzaza, Kisotrisotry, Kisotrisoty, Sarembatry, Sariambaty, Tsi Ambatriambotry, Voapika, Vohibato, Vohipiky
[ILDIS]

Uses

Use
Domestic, Food and Drink, Medicine, Toxins
[ILDIS]

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

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Legumes of the World Online

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