Rhynchosia pulverulenta Stocks

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

Morphology General Habit

Erect woody herb or scrambler 0·3–1·5 m. long or tall.

Morphology Stem

Stems densely velvety tomentose with short, mostly rather spreading greyish-white hairs.

Morphology Leaves

Leaflets 3, the terminal one typically markedly transversely elliptic or rhom-boid, less often ovate-triangular, 0·4–3 cm. long, 0·6–3·3(–4) cm. wide, acute to obtusely rounded at the apex, laterals obliquely ovate, 0·3–1·5 cm. long, 0·4–1·4 cm. wide, mostly ± acute at the apex, all rounded at the base, densely usually velvety pubescent on both surfaces, gland-dotted on both surfaces but especially so beneath where the paler greenish-yellow gland-dots are so numerous that they are scarcely separated from each other by their own width (when fully developed they give a peculiar greyish yellow-green appearance to the foliage); petiole 0·5–3 cm. long; rhachis 0·2–1 cm. long; petiolules 0·5–2 mm. long; stipules linear-lanceolate, 2·5–4 mm. long, 0·5 mm. wide, pubescent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences rather lax, much shorter to somewhat longer than the leaves, 1–10-flowered; rhachis 0·5–7·5 cm. long; peduncle obsolete (i.e. with lowest flower almost in the axil) to 2 cm. long; pedicels 0·5–1·5(–3) mm. long; bracts deciduous, linear-lanceolate, 1·5–2 mm. long, 0·2 mm. wide, pubescent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx shortly pubescent and with yellow gland-dots; tube 1–2 mm. long; lobes linear-lanceolate, the lowest the longest, 2·5–4·5 mm. long, 0·5–1 mm. wide, the laterals 1·5–3 mm. long, 0·3–0·5 mm. wide, the upper pair 2–3 mm. long, joined only at the base or for ± half their length.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Standard pale yellow, obovate-oblong, 4–6·5 mm. long, 3–4 mm. wide, rather densely whitish pubescent outside save near the claw.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pods falcate-oblong, 1·5–2 cm. long, 4·5–6 mm. wide, narrowed towards the base, apiculate, finely densely pubescent with very short white hairs and with small pale gland-dots.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds red-brown or brown, mottled black, rounded-oblong, compressed; longest dimension 3·5–4·5 mm., shorter dimension 2·5–3 mm., 1·5–2 mm. thick.

Habitat

Acacia woodland, also grassland and open Commiphora schimperi bushland on grey soil and gravel of old lake beaches; 690–1020 m.

Distribution

and ? South West Africa (variant intermediate with R. Candida (Hiern) Torre) K4 T2

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

Morphology General Habit

Erect or scrambling woody herb; stems densely tomentose with greyish-white hairs

Morphology Leaves Leaflets

Leaflets 3, rhomboid or ovate-triangular, 0.4–3 x 0.6–3.5 cm, velvety pubescent and densely dotted with pale glands on both surfaces, especially beneath

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences rather lax, 1–10-flowered

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx shortly pubescent and with yellow gland-dots

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Standard pale yellow, 4–6.5 mm long, rather densely pubescent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pod 15–20 x 4.5–6 mm, densely pubescent with very short white hairs and with small pale gland-dots.

Distribution

N1 ?SW Africa and Arabia to India.

Ecology

Altitude up to 700 m.

Vernacular

Jinijini, miryi edalis (Somali).

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