Fabaceae
Macrotyloma

Macrotyloma tenuiflorum (Micheli) Verdc.

First published in Kew Bull. 24: 402 (1970)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is W. Tropical Africa to Ethiopia and Angola. It grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Sudanian wooded grassland, Lake Victoria regional mosaic; wooded grassland, Zambezian wooded grassland
Morphology General Habit
Perennial, Not climbing, Herb
[ILDIS]

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

Morphology General Habit
Completely prostrate herb, with stems up to 0·8 m. long from a woody rootstock.
Morphology Stem
Stems slender, densely covered with spreading to somewhat adpressed pale hairs, often rooting at the nodes.
Morphology Leaves
Leaflets 3, broadly elliptic, round or obovate, the laterals somewhat oblique, 1–4·5 cm. long, 0·7–3·5 cm. wide, emarginate or rounded but mucronate at the apex, broadly cuneate to rounded at the base, adpressed pubescent on both surfaces and with a fringe of adpressed white hairs noticeable around the margin, often with a purplish tinge due to resin dots and the main nerves margined with pale yellowish above; petiole 0·4–1·3 cm. long, channelled, pubescent; rhachis mostly obsolete; petiolules 1–1·5 mm. long; stipules oblong-elliptic, 2–3 mm. long, 1–1·5 mm. wide, persistent, mostly dark brownish-purple with pale nerves.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers axillary, solitary or paired; peduncles 0–2 cm. long (probably leafless side shoots); pedicels 1–2 mm. long; bracts and bracteoles lanceolate, 1–2 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx sparsely pubescent; tube 1·5–2 mm. long; lobes triangular or elongate-triangular, 1–2 mm. long, lowest lobe longest, upper pair joined completely or almost so to form a lip.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard white or yellowish-blue, sometimes marked with reddish-purple, obovate, 0·8–1·2 cm. long, 5–7 mm. wide, emarginate; wings and keel whitish.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods linear, 4–5·2 cm. long, 2–3 mm. wide, glabrous, apiculate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds chestnut, compressed oblong-ellipsoid, longest dimension 2·5–3 mm., shorter dimension 1·2–1·5 mm., 0·6 mm. thick; hilum central, oblong-elliptic; narrowest end of seed tipped with a translucent glandular cap (? elaiosome) not connected with the hilum.
Habitat
On bare stony ground in grassland and open Combretum wooded grassland; 1080 m.
Distribution
U2
[FTEA]

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 Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • 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