Lessertia macrostachya DC.

First published in Ann. Sci. Nat. (Paris) 4: 100 (1825)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Botswana to Cape Prov. It is a perennial or subshrub and grows primarily in the desert or dry shrubland biome.

Descriptions

Leguminosae, various authors. Flora Zambesiaca 3:7. 2003

Morphology General Habit
Erect perennial herb up to 1 m high, from a woody taproot.
Morphology Stem
Stems virgate, much branched from the base, herbaceous and pithy above, striate, green-greyish, covered by dense soft hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves up to 9.5 cm long; leaflets 8–14 on each side of the rhachis, opposite or subopposite, 5–10 × 2–4 mm, elliptic to ovate, emarginate or rounded at the apex, cuneate to rounded at the base, thinly silky hairy on both surfaces; petiole 1–1.5 cm long, with appressed white soft hairs; rhachis 1.2–8 cm long, sulcate on the upper side; petiolules less than 1 mm long; stipules 2.5 mm long, subulate, ± silky.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes up to 25 cm long, laxly many-flowered, silky hairy; peduncle 3–4 cm long; bracts c. 1.5 mm long, ovate; pedicels 1.5 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 3–4 mm long, campanulate, 5-toothed in the upper third, thinly silky hairy becoming puberulous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla c. 6 mm long, yellow-purple or violet at the apex; standard c. 6 × 4 mm, elliptic, emarginate at the apex, tapering at the base into a short claw; wings 6 mm long including the 1.5 mm long claws, the blades 3 mm wide, falcate-oblong, auriculate at the base; keel petals c. 5 mm long including the 1.5 mm long claw, the blades c. 1.5 mm wide, rounded at the apex, auriculate at the base.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Filament sheath up to 3.5 mm long; free parts of the filaments 1–2 mm long; free stamen 4 mm long; anthers c. 1 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary c. 3.5 mm long, oblong, few-ovulate, villous-pubescent or glabrous; style c. 2 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod 15–22 × 8–10 mm, flattened, elliptic-oblong, rounded at the apex but with persistent curved style, tapering to the base into a 1–2 mm long stipe, thinly pubescent or glabrous, pale green, usually with small red or purple spots.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 1–3 in each pod, 3 × 2 mm, reniform, blackish.
[FZ]

International Legume Database and Information Service

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]

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