Tephrosia athiensis Baker f.

First published in Legum. Trop. Africa: 186 (1926)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Kenya. It grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Perennial herb with short often decumbent shoots from a woody base; stems appressed silvery.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-rhachis up to 3 or 4 cm. long, including a petiole of 5–16 mm., prolonged 1–3 mm. beyond the lateral leaflets; stipules triangular or lanceolate, up to 4 mm. long; leaflets 5–9, usually 7, narrowly lanceolate or, especially in drier areas, linear, up to 4 cm. long and 6 mm. wide, appressed silvery beneath, glabrous or almost so above; chief lateral nerves about 7 on each side, somewhat prominent; margin thickened.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers pink, in pedunculate 2–12-flowered pseudoracemes, never in leaf-axils; bracts triangular, up to 2 mm. long; pedicels brown pubescent, up to 6 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx brown tomentose; tube ± 2 mm. long; lobes ovate-triangular, acuminate, about as long, the 2 upper half united.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard brown tomentose outside, ± 10 mm. long; keel glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Upper filament lightly attached, widened but not callous nor bent a little above the base; filament-sheath ± 7 mm., free parts 2–3 mm., anthers 0.7 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style glabrous, twisted, curved, tapering, penicillate, 3–4 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod straight or slightly upcurved towards the tip, the short beak somewhat deflexed, up to 4.5 cm. long, 5 mm. wide, densely covered with white and, chiefly at the margins, black hairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 5–6, brown, longitudinal, ±3 × 2 × 1.2 mm.; hilum one-third along the side, hardly arillate.
Habitat
Rocky grassland; 1600–2800 m.; rainfall 700–1200 mm.
Distribution
not known elsewhere K3 K4 K6
[FTEA]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Insufficiently known
Ecology
Africa: Somalia-Masai grasslands
Morphology General Habit
Perennial, 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: 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