Fabaceae
Lotus

Lotus torulosus (Chiov.) Fiori

First published in Nuovo Giorn. Bot. Ital., n.s., 19: 451 (1912)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is NE. Sudan to Somalia. It is an annual and grows primarily in the desert or dry shrubland biome.

Descriptions

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Note
First record for Somalia (Karin Xaggarood at 10°58’N, 48°52’E, and S of Xidid at 11°01’N, 48°37’E). The Somali plants have pods that are scarcely torulose at all, but still they appear to be conspecific with L. torulosus.
Morphology General Habit
Procumbent annual to 40 cm long, pilose
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-rhachis 2–15 mm long; leaflets ± cuneate-obovate, up to 20 x 12 mm, the basal pair much wider at the base than the others
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Umbels 2–5-flowered; peduncle up to 4 cm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx-tube c. 3 mm long; lobes 3–4.5 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla pink, 7–8 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style 4–5 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod up to 30–50 x 2 mm, ± torulose, glabrous.
Distribution
N2; Eritrea, N Sudan
Ecology
Altitude range 650–1450 m.
[FSOM]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Morphology General Habit
Annual, 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 of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • 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