Fabaceae
Tephrosia

Tephrosia drepanocarpa Welw. ex Baker

First published in D.Oliver & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Trop. Afr. 2: 124 (1871)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Kenya to S. Tropical Africa. 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
A decumbent perennial herb with long trailing hispid or pilose stems, ascending towards the apex.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-rhachis up to 7 cm. long, including a petiole of ± 1 cm., prolonged 2–3 mm. beyond the lateral leaflets; stipules triangular, ± 3 mm. long and 1 mm. wide; leaflets 7–17, usually 13, elliptic-oblong, sparsely pilose beneath; chief lateral nerves ± 7 on each side, prominent and red beneath.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers pinkish-purple in lax terminal pseudoracemes, a few also in upper leaf-axils; bracts subulate, up to 3 mm. long; pedicels ± 3 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx reddish-brown, hispid; tube ± 2 mm. long; teeth triangular-acuminate, more or less equal, ± 3 mm. long, upper pair free almost to base.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard white pubescent outside, ± 10 × 7 mm.; keel glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Upper filament lightly attached, sharply widened and bent 1.5 mm. above the base; filament-sheath ± 5 mm., free parts 1–1.5 mm., anthers 0.3 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style glabrous, sublinear, not twisted, sharply bent at base, incurved and not penicillate at tip, ± 2.5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod curved, ± 2.5 cm. long by 5 mm. wide, very shortly hispid.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 4–6, dark, longitudinal, kidney-shaped, flat, ±4 × 2.3 × 0.8 mm.; hilum central, hardly arillate.
Habitat
Grassland and roadsides; 1130–1800 m.; rainfall 600–1100 mm.
Distribution
K4 T1 T2 T4 T5 T7
[FTEA]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Zambezian grassland, Zambezian anthropic landscapes., Somalia-Masai grasslands, Somalia-Masai anthropic landscapes
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: 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