Fabaceae
Eriosema

Eriosema verdickii De Wild.

First published in Ann. Mus. Congo Belge, Bot., sér. 4, 1: 201 (1903)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical Africa. It is a tuberous geophyte 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 perennial herb 0.15–1.25 m tall, with a single sparsely branched stem from a small napiform or subglobose tuber 1.5–5 × 1–1.8 cm.
Morphology Stem
Stems with ± appressed white hairs and also spreading longer ferruginous hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 1-foliolate; leaflet 3–20 × 0.6–4.5 cm, oblong or ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, acute at the apex, cordate or amplexicaul; sparsely to rather densely hairy on both surfaces, glandular beneath; petiole obsolete; petiolule 1–3 mm long; stipules 5–20 × 2–3(4) mm, lanceolate, hairy, veined.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes axillary or apparently terminal, the flowering part 1.5–9 × 0.8–1.8 cm; peduncle 1–3.5 cm long, densely covered with short white hairs and long ferruginous hairs; pedicels c. 1 mm long; bracts deciduous, 6–11 mm long, linear-lanceolate, hairy.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 6–11 mm long, with short appressed hairs, dense long stiff spreading ferruginous hairs and glands; lobes filiform, very unequal, the lower sometimes scarcely longer than the tube, the upper up to 6 times as long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard yellow, sometimes flushed or lined with brown, 5–7.5 × 2.5–4 mm, oblong or obovate-oblong, glandular and pubescent; wings and keel yellow.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods 7–10 × 5–7 mm, elliptic-oblong, apiculate, covered with short pubescence, glands and long ferruginous hairs c. 2 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds chestnut-brown with dark mottling or greenish, 3.8 × 2 × 1.2 mm, oblong, compressed.
[FZ]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Zambezian wooded grassland, Sudanian woodland, Zambezian woodland, Sudanian wooded 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]

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

Morphology General Habit
Erect herb, 0·15–1·25 m. tall, with a single sparsely branched stem from a small napiform or subglobose tuber 1·5–5 cm. long and 1–1·5 cm. wide.
Morphology Stem
Stems with ± adpressed white hairs and also spreading longer ferruginous hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves l-foliolate; leaflet oblong or ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, 3–20 cm. long, 0·6–4·5 cm. wide, acute at the apex, cordate or amplexicaul, sparsely to rather densely hairy on both surfaces, glandular beneath; petiole obsolete; petiolule 1–3 mm. long; stipules lanceolate, 0·5–2 cm. long, 2–3(–4) mm. wide, hairy, veined.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes axillary or apparently terminal, the flowering part 1·5–9 cm. long, 0·8–1·8 cm. wide; peduncle 1–3·5 cm. long densely covered with short white hairs and long ferruginous hairs; pedicels ± 1 mm. long; bracts deciduous, linear-lanceolate, 0·6–1·1 cm. long, hairy.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx with short adpressed hairs, dense long stiff spreading ferruginous hairs and glands, 6–11 mm. long; lobes filiform, very unequal, the lower sometimes scarcely longer than the tube, the upper up to 6 times as long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard yellow, sometimes flushed or lined with brown, oblong or obovate-oblong, 5–7.5 mm. long, 2·5–4 mm. wide, glandular and pubescent; wings and keel yellow.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods elliptic-oblong, 7–10 mm. long, 5–7 mm. wide, apiculate, covered with short pubescence, glands and long ferruginous hairs ± 2 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds chestnut with dark mottling, oblong, compressed, longest dimension 3·8 mm., shorter dimension 2 mm., 1·2 mm. thick.
Habitat
Grassland with scattered small trees, dry woodland; 1000–1400 m.
Distribution
T4 T7 T8
[FTEA]

Uses

Use
Food and Drink
[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

  • 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