Lotononis laxa Eckl. & Zeyh.

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

Morphology General Habit

Stems numerous from a stout branched perennial rootstock, decumbent to shortly ascending, resprouting after burning, up to 10–50 cm long, densely silvery strigulose or strigulose-pubescent with slightly biramous hairs.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves mostly 3-foliolate, lower ones sometimes 1-foliolate; leaflets 10–25 × 2–5 mm, mostly linear-elliptic to oblanceolate, obtuse or rounded to a mucronate tip, strigulose-pubescent on both surfaces; petiole shorter than the leaflets; stipules single at a node, resembling small leaflets.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers leaf-opposed, solitary or subumbellately 2–5; peduncle 0–16 mm long; bracts 2–3 mm long, linear to linear-oblanceolate; pedicel 3–5 mm long; bracteoles absent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 5–6 mm long, densely strigulose-pubescent; upper and lateral lobes joined at nearly the same level, narrowly triangular-lanceolate, c. 3 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Standard yellow, fading reddish, ± as long as the other petals, narrowly ovate-elliptic above a well developed basally dilated claw, pubescent along the midvein outside; keel 6–7 mm long, oblong-falcate, with a small pointed beak, glabrous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pods (12)15–20 × 4–4.5 mm, linear-oblong, slightly tapered towards the apex, strigose-pubescent, 10–20-seeded.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds c. 2 mm long, rounded, slightly oblique-cordiform, matt, pale brown or mottled.

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation

Not Threatened

Ecology

Africa: Afromontane grassland, Afromontane(upland) bushland and thicket.

Morphology General Habit

Perennial, Not climbing, Herb

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

Morphology General Habit

Perennial herb.

Morphology Stem

Stems erect or decumbent, branched, up to 2 dm. long, sericeous with medifixed pubescence.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves 3-foliolate, somewhat sericeous; leaflets oblanceolate, sometimes narrowly so, with the terminal one up to 2·5 cm. long but often much smaller, and the lateral ones similar but smaller; petiole shorter than the terminal leaflet.

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules usually solitary, linear-lanceolate, up to 7 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence terminal, leaf-opposed, sub-umbellate, 1–5-flowered, on a peduncle 1–15 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx ± 7 mm. long, ± sericeous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals yellow, sometimes fading to red, glabrous apart from a few hairs on the back of the standard; standard up to 8·5 mm. long; keel slightly shorter.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary sericeous; ovules ± 22.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pod ± oblong, slightly narrowed towards the acute apex, ± straight, up to 20 × 4 mm., scarcely inflated, sericeous; seeds ± 20, ±1·5 mm. in diameter, on a funicle up to 2 mm. long.

Figures

Fig. 118/1–10, p. 815.

Habitat

Upland grassland and evergreen bushland, often in stony or rocky situations; 1700–2700 m.

Distribution

K1 K2 K3 K4 T2 T3 T7 U1 elsewhere in tropical Africa known only from Ethiopia (Sidamo and Harar) and Malawi (Chenga Hill)frequent in South Africa, reaching the Cape Province