Fabaceae
Psophocarpus

Psophocarpus scandens (Endl.) Verdc.

First published in Taxon 17: 539 (1968)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Cameroon to South Sudan and S. Tropical Africa, W. Indian Ocean. It is a climbing perennial and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

Leguminosae, B. Mackinder, R. Pasquet, R. Polhill and B. Verdcourt. Flora Zambesiaca 3:5. 2001

Morphology General Habit
Perennial climbing herb to 6 m high, often turning black on drying.
Morphology Stem
Stems glabrous or sparsely pubescent.
Morphology Leaves Leaflets
Leaflets 2.4–9.5 × 1.8–8.8 cm, broadly rhombic to oblate, acuminate, somewhat lobed, glabrous or becoming so; petiole 3–14 cm long; stipules appendaged below the point of insertion, 8–15 mm long overall; stipels 2–4 mm long, narrowly oblong.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence an axillary pseudoraceme; peduncle 6–33 cm long; rhachis 4–10.5 cm long; pedicels 2–5 mm long; bracts 6–12 × 2–5 mm, elliptic, caducous; bracteoles 9–14 × 4–7 mm, as long as or longer than the calyx, ovate or elliptic, finely pubescent or glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx glabrous or puberulous; tube 3–5 mm long; upper lobes 4–5 mm long, fused for almost all their length; lower lobes triangular, lateral lobes 4–6 mm long, acuminate, lower middle lobe 4–5 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla glabrous, pale blue to mauve, standard greenish outside; standard 1.6–2.4 × 1.2–1.5 cm, obovate, apex obcordate, base auriculate; wings 17–23 × 5–10 mm, narrowly obovate, with basal appendages to 6 mm long; keel 15–21 × 4–8 mm.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary 11–14 mm long, narrowly cylindrical, slightly broader apically, glabrous; stigma terminal or internal, penicillate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod black, 3.2–7 cm × 5–7 mm, oblong, with 4 striate wings 2–5 mm wide, 4–8-seeded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds brown-black, 5–7 × 4–6 × 2–3 mm; hilum black, 2–4 mm long, longitudinally bisecting elliptic, pale aril.
[FZ]

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]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Zambezian grassland, Zambezian freshwater swamp and aquatic vegetation, Lake Victoria regional transition zone; grasslands, Lake Victoria regional mosaic; freshwater swamp and aquatic vegetation, Zambezian forest
Morphology General Habit
Perennial, Climbing, Herb
Vernacular
Anonantaka, Pois Carres, Vahimafaraka
[ILDIS]

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

Morphology General Habit
Perennial climbing herb 1–6 m. long, blackening on drying.
Morphology Stem
Stems glabrous or sparsely pubescent.
Morphology Leaves
Leaflets 3, rhomboid-ovate to oblate, 2·5–12 cm. long, 1·8–10 cm. wide, acute or acuminate at the apex, cuneate to rounded at the base, rarely 3-lobed, glabrous or glabrescent on both surfaces but the margins often ciliate; petiole 5–18 cm. long; rhachis 0·8–5 cm. long; petiolules 3–6 mm. long; stipules oblong-lanceolate, persistent, spurred, together with the spur 0·8–1·7 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences:rhachis 5–12 ecm long, pubescent; peduncles 3–40 cm. long; pedicels 2–6 mm. long, pubesent; bracts ± deciduous, ovate-lanceolate or elliptic, 5–11 mm. long, 2–4 mm. wide; bracteoles persistent, ovate-oblong or elliptic, 1–1·4 cm. long, 5–7 mm. wide, glabrous or pubescent, veined.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx glabrous or puberulous; tube 5–7 mm. long; lower lip with median triangular lobe 2·5–3·5 mm. long, and 2 lateral very broadly deltoid lobes 1·5 mm. long; 2 upper lobes joined to form a low emarginate lip.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard pale blue or mauve (? occasionally reddish-yellow), obovate-oblong, 1·5–2·1 cm. long, 1·2–1·5 cm. wide, emarginate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods oblong, square in cross-section, 3·5–8 cm. long, 6–7 mm. wide, 4–8-seeded, prominently winged, the wings 2·5–6·5 mm. wide, slightly toothed, often striate, sometimes puberulous along the margins, otherwise the fruit is glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds blackish-purple, oblong or sub cylindrical, longest dimension (5–)6–7·5 mm., shorter dimensions (3·5–)5–6 mm., with minute orange granular easily removable tomentum or some brown silky hairs on the edges.
Habitat
Swamps, streamsides, ponds in forest areas, often rooting in the water, also in disturbed grasslands and cultivations; 0–810 m.
Distribution
P T3 T4 T6 T7 T8 U2 Z Cameroun to Angola, Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia (fide Wilczek), Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Comoro Is., Madagascar, Mascarene Is., cultivated elsewhere
[FTEA]

Uses

Use
Chemical products, Environmental, Food and Drink
[ILDIS]

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

  • 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

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • 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