Erythrina burttii Baker f.

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

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

Morphology General Habit

Flat-topped tree 3·5–15(–18) m. tall, with raised corky bosses bearing curved prickles on the old deeply fissured very rough corky bark; flowering when leaves are not developed.

Morphology Stem

Stems grey, wrinkled, roughened by leaf-and peduncle-scars, soon glabrous, mostly prickly.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves often borne on abbreviated side shoots; leaflets elliptic to broadly obovate or round, 1·2–5 cm. long and wide, rounded to deeply emarginate at the apex, cuneate to rounded at the base, minutely stellate pubescent in the young state, but soon quite glabrous or with scattered hairs on the main veins beneath; midrib without prickles; petiole 1–4·5 cm. long, pubescent or glabrous, sometimes prickly; rhachis 0·4–1·7 cm. long; petiolules 2–4 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences covered with deciduous ferruginous stellate hairs; rhachis 6–9 cm. long; peduncle 2·5–5 cm. long; pedicels 5–10 mm. long, stellate pubescent; bracts ovate, 2 mm. long and wide; bracteoles narrow, 2 mm. long, 0·5 mm. wide, all soon deciduous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx ellipsoid-fusiform, narrowed above, shortly, obscurely nodular-toothed, later splitting on the vexillar side to form a spathe 1–2·5 cm. long, at first densely ferruginous stellate floccose-tomentose, but soon glabrescent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Standard scarlet, short-clawed, recurved, obovate, 2·5–4·5 cm. long, 2–3·5 cm. wide, rounded; keel and wings usually blood-red or crimson with margins and veins almost black, shiny, ± equal, ± a third to a half the length of the standard.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pods stipitate, linear-oblong or falcate, compressed, 6·5–9 cm. long, 1·1–1·8 cm. wide, 1–2(–? few)-seeded, not or scarcely constricted between the seeds, densely stellate-tomentose when young, soon becoming glabrous; valves completely separating, somewhat wrinkled.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds orange or red (? rarely yellowish), oblong-ellipsoid, longest dimension 1·1–1·2 cm., shorter dimensions 7–8 mm.; hilum elliptic, 3–4 mm. long.

Figures

Fig. 81, p. 551.

Habitat

Acacia, Combretum or Acacia, Commiphora bushland or derived grassland; 800–1650 m.

Distribution

K1 K3 K4 K6 K7 T1 T2 T3 T5 T6 not known elsewhere