Zornia capensis Pers.

Leguminosae, B. Verdcourt. Flora Zambesiaca 3:6. 2000

Morphology General Habit

Perennial herb (rarely annual) with decumbent or prostrate stems 15–75 cm long.

Morphology Stem

Stems mostly much branched at the base, usually glabrous but sometimes slightly pubescent (very rarely densely pubescent).

Morphology Leaves

Leaves 4-foliolate (rarely less); leaflets 5–30 × 2–8(9) mm, lanceolate, or narrowly elliptic, acute and apiculate at the apex, cuneate at the base, glabrous or slightly pubescent, densely glandular-punctate or sometimes mostly glandular-punctate along the margins; petiole 5–18 mm long; petiolules 0.2–1 mm long, glabrous or pubescent; stipules 5–15 mm long including the 1.5–5 mm long spur, 1.5–3 mm wide, narrowly to broadly lanceolate, glabrous, punctate or not.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences 1.5–20 cm long; peduncle 2–4 cm long; bracts 6–14 × 2.5–5.5 mm, elliptic to ovate, acute, glabrous or the margins distinctly ciliate, sparsely to densely pellucid-punctate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx tube 1.5–2 mm long; lobes 2.5–3.5 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Standard yellow, often lined with red or purple, 8.5–10 × 9–10 mm; wings yellow; keel yellow or greenish.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruits 15–23 mm long, of 4–7 articles; each article 2–2.5(3.2) mm long and wide, glabrous and glandular or with few to many glabrous or retrorsely pubescent bristles.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds pale brown, 1.8–2.3 × 1.2–1.5 × 0.6 mm, ellipsoid-reniform, slightly beaked at one end beyond the small eccentric hilum.

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

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

Morphology General Habit

Perennial herb with prostrate or decumbent stems, up to 6.5 dm. long, from a slender fibrous rootstock.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves 4-foliolate; terminal leaflets of upper leaves lanceolate or narrowly elliptic, up to 22 × 3 mm., often much smaller, acute, apiculate, glabrous or with a few hairs on the midrib and margin, ± glandular-punctate beneath; lateral leaflets smaller; leaves towards the middle of the stem larger; leaflets of lower leaves smaller and proportionally broader.

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules lanceolate or narrowly lanceolate, up to 12(–15) mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts

Bracts ovate or elliptic, acute, usually longer than the internodes, beset with glands, glabrous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers longer than the bracts.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx ± 3.5 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals lemon-yellow or orange marked with reddish; standard up to 8.5 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Legume up to 18 mm. long and 7-seeded, often much shorter; segments 2.5 × 2 mm., variously clothed.