Fabaceae
Tephrosia

Tephrosia elongata E.Mey.

First published in Comm. Pl. Afr. Austr.: 111 (1836)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tanzania to S. Africa. It is a perennial, subshrub or shrub and 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 a woody rootstock, up to 0.5 m. tall.
Morphology Stem
Stems appressed strigulose.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-rhachis up to 5 cm. long, including a petiole of up to 3 cm., prolonged up to 2 cm. beyond lateral leaflets; stipules sublinear, up to 8 mm. long; leaflets 3–5, lanceolate, up to 8 cm. long and 1.5 cm. wide, coriaceous, acute, with a dense network of veins prominent on both surfaces, glabrous above (in Flora area), appressed strigulose beneath.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers yellow and red in lax terminal pseudoracemes, sometimes a few in the upper leaf-axils; bracts sublinear, persistent, up to 6 mm. long; pedicels 4–5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx brownish pubescent; tube ± 2 mm. long; teeth triangular, ± 3 mm. long, except the lowest which is 4 mm., the upper pair united almost to the tip.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard brownish pubescent outside, emarginate, ± 11 mm. long; wings ± 11 mm. long, with a claw of 3–5 mm.; keel glabrous, ± 7 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Filaments
Upper filament lightly attached, widened but not callous 1 mm. above the base; filament-sheath ± 7 mm., free parts ± 2 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Style glabrous, bent through 90° near the base, then straight, linear; stigma with a few short hairs, not penicillate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod appressed strigulose, ± 6 cm. long by 4 mm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed ± 14, oblong-ellipsoid, longitudinal; hilum one-third along the side, hardly arillate.
Habitat
Not recorded; in Malawi grassland with Pteridium on poor bauxite soil at 1800 m.
Distribution
T5/T6
[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]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Afromontane grassland
Morphology General Habit
Perennial, Not climbing, Herb
[ILDIS]

Flora Zambesiaca Leguminosae subfamily Papillionoideae by R.K. Brummitt

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals 9–12(15) mm long, red, pink, salmon, orange or yellow; standard truncate to subcordate at the base. Petals 9–12(15) mm long, red, pink, salmon, orange or yellow; standard truncate to subcordate at the base.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Staminal tube joined above. Staminal tube joined above.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary pubescent; style glabrous with pencillate tip.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods 55–70 × 3.5–4(5) mm, appressed-pubescent, tending to be glabrescent. Pods 55–70 × 3.5–4(5) mm, appressed-pubescent, tending to be glabrescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 9–13(16), 2–3 × 2 × 1 mm, blackish, with a small rim aril at the middle of the longest side. Seeds 9–13(16), 2–3 × 2 × 1 mm, blackish, with a small rim aril at the middle of the longest side.
Morphology General Habit
Perennial suffrutex with a vertical stock and herbaceous annual shoots. Perennial suffrutex with a vertical stock and herbaceous annual shoots.
Morphology Stem
Stems erect or decumbent, up to 50 cm high, or up to 90 cm in var. tzaneenensis, unbranched or sparingly branched, subglabrous or appressed to spreading-pubescent. Stems erect or decumbent, up to 50 cm high, or up to 90 cm in var. tzaneenensis, unbranched or sparingly branched, subglabrous or appressed to spreading-pubescent.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves with 1–2(3) pairs of leaflets; petiole 0.6–2.8 cm long, or as short as 0.1 cm in var. >i>tzaneenensis, petiole and rachis together 0.8–4.5(7.0) cm long, pubescent like the stem; leaflets 3.5–9 (13 in var. >i>tzaneenensis) × 0.3–1.5 cm, linear to linear-elliptic, linear-oblong or rarely linear-lanceolate, subcuneate at the base, acute to rounded at the apex; upper surface glabrous often with numerous minute gland dots between the veins, lower surface appressed to irregularly spreading pubescent; stipules (3)4–10(13) × 0.3–1 mm, linear. Leaves with 1–2(3) pairs of leaflets; petiole 0.6–2.8 cm long, or as short as 0.1 cm in var. tzaneenensis, petiole and rachis together 0.8–4.5(7.0) cm long, pubescent like the stem; leaflets 3.5–9 (13 in var. tzaneenensis) × 0.3–1.5 cm, linear to linear-elliptic, linear-oblong or rarely linear-lanceolate, subcuneate at the base, acute to rounded at the apex; upper surface glabrous often with numerous minute gland dots between the veins, lower surface appressed to irregularly spreading pubescent; stipules (3)4–10(13) × 0.3–1 mm, linear.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers in terminal racemes up to 22(30) cm long; bracts 2–5 × c.0.5 mm; pedicels 2–5 (7 in fruit) mm long. Flowers in terminal racemes up to 22(30) cm long; bracts 2–5 × c.0.5 mm; pedicels 2–5 (7 in fruit) mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx (4)5–7 mm long, appressed to spreading-pubescent; lateral teeth equalling to exceeding the tube, upper teeth connate for ½–? their length to form an acute triangle. Calyx (4)5–7 mm long, appressed to spreading-pubescent; lateral teeth equalling to exceeding the tube, upper teeth connate for ½–? their length to form an acute triangle.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary pubescent; style glabrous with pencillate tip.
[FZ]

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

  • 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