Humularia descampsii (De Wild. & T.Durand) P.A.Duvign.

Leguminosae, B. Verdcourt. Flora Zambesiaca 3:6. 2000

Morphology General Habit

Subshrub 0.4–1.5 m tall.

Morphology Stem

Stems erect, robust, woody, sparsely to densely covered with stiff tubercular-based hairs, scabrid, mostly dark brown.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves 4(8)-foliolate; leaflets 3–30 × 2–8 mm, obovate-oblong or oblong-falcate, obliquely rounded at both ends, glabrous or pilose, finely denticulate on the margins; main nerve completely marginal, ending in a small point not far below the apex of the leaflet; 4–6 additional nerves radiating from the base; venation strongly reticulate; petiole 5–10 mm long and rhachis 2–9 mm long, both scabrid-pubescent like the stems, the rhachis prolonged beyond the ultimate pair of leaflets for 2.5–7 mm; petiolules very short; stipules 5–27 × 4–15 mm, rounded to ovate, leaf-like, obtuse to acute at the apex, very unequally bluntly bilobed at the base, densely veined with numerous approximate basal nerves, glabrous or pilose, denticulate, persistent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences borne on leafy shoots, densely strobilate, 2–5 cm long; bracts greenish-yellow, becoming brown, 10–18 × 10–15(23) mm, rounded, divided into two lobes for half to two-thirds of their length; lobes ovate, acute or acuminate, denticulate, glabrous or pilose; bracteoles 2–5 × 1–3 mm, lanceolate, ciliate; peduncle 1–3(5) mm long, scabrid-pubescent; pedicels 1 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx lobes sparsely pubescent or glabrescent, 7–10 × 3 mm, oblong-lanceolate, the upper entire, the lower 3-fid.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Standard yellow or orange, 8–9 × 3–4 mm, oblong with a slight waist.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit of 1 rounded kettle-drum-shaped article, 4–5.5 × 4–4.5 mm, the upper margin ± straight, the lower margin strongly curved, glabrous, nervose.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds dark crimson-brown, 3 × 2.5 × 1.5 mm, reniform; the small hilum eccentric.