Vigna reticulata Hook.f.

Papilionaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:2. 1958

Morphology General Habit

A twiner, grey- or yellowish-hairy

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Yellow or purplish flowers.

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

Morphology General Habit

Annual or perennial trailing or climbing herb, 0·6–1·5 m. long.

Morphology Stem

Stems densely covered with retrorse or spreading yellowish-brown hairs.

Morphology Leaves

Leaflets 3, very rarely 1, sometimes with a longitudinal pale band, ovate or elliptic to lanceolate or linear-oblong, rarely round, 1·5–22 cm. long, 0·3–4(–7·5) cm. wide, rounded to acuminate at the apex, rounded to subcordate at the base, with adpressed pubescence of spaced bristly hairs on both surfaces; venation slightly raised on both surfaces, the arrangement of the tertiary veins characteristic, close, parallel and at right-angles to the midrib; petiole 1·5–8·5 cm. long; rhachis 0·5–3 cm. long; petiolules 2–3·5 mm. long; stipules ovate-lanceolate, 0·6–1·5 cm. long, 2–4 mm. wide, prolonged and cordate at the base.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences axillary, subumbellate, 2–6-flowered; peduncle 4–25 cm. long; pedicels obsolete or up to 1·5 mm. long; bracts deciduous, lanceolate, 0·8–1·2 cm. long; bracteoles similar.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx with adpressed or spreading bristly white or dark brown hairs; tube 3–6 mm. long; lobes linear-lanceolate, 0·6–1·6 cm. long, the upper pair joined for rfc a fifth to a quarter of their length.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Standard pale lilac to pink or deep mauve with a yellow basal blotch inside, edged with blue, almost round, (1·2–) 1·5–2·3 cm. long, 1·6–2·2 cm. wide, emarginate, glabrous; wings lilac to purple; keel white, the beak very short and not twisted, petals without a pocket.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pods held ±erect, linear-cylindrical, (2·7–)3·8–7 cm. long, 4–4·5 mm. wide, adpressed bristly pubescent to spreading hirsute with white or very dark brown hairs.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds pinkish-grey or reddish-brown with dark speckling, oblong-ovoid, longest dimension 3–4 mm., shorter dimension 2–3 mm., 1·5–2 mm. thick; hilum ± three-quarters the length of the seed; rim-aril developed, greenish.

Habitat

Grassland, bushland or grassland with scattered trees, usually on damp or swampy ground; 0–2460 m.

Distribution

K3 K7 T1 T3 T4 T6 T7 T8 U1 U2 U3 U4 Z widespread in tropical Africa from Sierra Leone to Angola, Ethiopia, Mozambique and Rhodesia

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation

Not Threatened

Ecology

Africa: Lake Victoria regional transition zone; woodland., Zanzibar-Inhambane regional transition zone ; woodland., Zanzibar-Inhambane regional transition zone; grassland., Lake Victoria regional transition zone; grasslands, Sudanian woodland, Zambezian g

Morphology General Habit

Annual/Perennial, Climbing/Not climbing, Herb

Vernacular

Kadaliky

Seed Collecting Guide. RBG Kew (2013-2016)

Morphology General Habit

Annual or Perrenial trailing or climbing herb, 0.6-1 m long

Morphology Stem

stem densely covered with retrorse or spreading yellowish-brown hairs

Morphology Leaves

leaflets 3, 1 on first nodes, 3--22 x 0.3-6 cm, ovate or elliptic to lanceolate or linear-oblong, rarely round, rounded to acuminate at the apex, rounded to subcordate at the base, petiole 1.5-8.5 cm long; rhachis 0.5-2.5 cm long; stipules 5-15 x 2--4 mm, ovate-lanceolate, multinerved, prolonged and cordate at the base

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Peduncles

peduncle 4-25 cm x 0.5-1.8 mm, as hairy as the stem, rhachis 0-2 mm long, 1-2-noded, internodes 1-2 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

flower pink to purple, 13--23 x 14-24 mm; pedicel 0.5-1.5 mm long, not expanding as the pod matures; bracteoles 5-12 x 1.5 mm, multinerved

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

calyx with appressed or spreading bristly white or dark brown hairs; tube 3--6 mm long; lobes 7-20 mm long, linear-lanceolate, subequal, the upper pair joined for c. one-fifth to one-quarter of their length

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

ovary 8-14 ovuled

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

fruit pods 4-7 cm x 3--4.5 mm, linear-cylindrical, straight, appressed bristly pubescent to spreading hirsute with white or very dark brown hairs, with a curved beak

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

2.5-5 x 2-3.5 mm; hilum excentric, c. three-quarters the length of the seed, rim aril developed as two parallel lines.

Ecology

fallow fields, grasslands, forest edges, roadsides, savannah and open woodland areas, miombo woodlands, boggy ground, fallow and as a weed of cultivation; basaltic or laterite with sand, sandy loam or clay loam soils. altitude1 - 2800 m

Conservation

least concerned

Phenology

Flower (september – december and april - july), fruit (september – december and april - july)

Distribution

throughout Tropical Africa.

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

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/170471/1314752

Conservation

LC - least concern