ZORGL
Growth form
Broadleaf
Biological cycle
Annual
Habitat
Terrestrial
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Global description
Zornia glochidiata is an erect or loose tufted plant spread on the ground. The leaves are alternate and have only one pair of asymmetrical leaflets at the end of a long petiole. The petiole has lanceolate stipules with a basal appendage at its base. The flowers are grouped in loose, axillary and terminal spikes. They are enclosed between 2 leafy bracts similar to stipules. The filaments of all the stamens are welded into a tube. The fruits are pods with 3 or 4 segments, covered with stiff hairs with reflected teeth.
Cotyledons
The cotyledons are kidney-shaped. The blade is 7 mm long and 3 mm wide, and is borne by a short petiole.
First leaves
The first leaves are alternate and composed. They consist of a petiole 1 cm long carrying at its base two lanceolate stipules provided with a small basal appendix. At the end of the petiole are two lanceolate leaflets borne by a short petiolule.
General habit
Zornia glochidiata is erect or loose tufted spread on the ground and abundantly branched from the base. The plant is 20 cm tall but can spread out 30 to 40 cm in diameter.
Undeground system
The root is a taproot.
Stem
The stem is cylindrical and solid. It is thin, measuring 1 mm wide and perfectly hairless.
Leaf
The leaves are alternate and compound, with two leaflets. They are borne by a hairless petiole 1 cm long. At the base of this petiole are 2 leafy stipules, lanceolate in shape and appendiculate at the base. The stipule is 8 mm long, of which the lower quarter is represented by the basal appendix. It is marked with 3 or 4 arched veins. At the end of the petiole are 2 lanceolate leaflets. They are borne by a short petiolule 1 mm long and weakly pubescent. The leaflets are up to 4 cm long and 7 mm wide. The top is acute corner, sometimes even apiculate and the base is slightly asymmetrical. The margin is entire. Two weakly marked veins start from the base. The upper surface is glabrous while the underside bears a few scattered hairs.
Inflorescence
The flowers are assembled in loose spikes 2 to 5 cm long, axillary and terminal, long pedunculated.
Flower
The flowers are enclosed between two leafy bracts 11 mm long and 7 mm wide, elliptic in shape and with a basal appendix. The flower is shorter than the bracts, it is 4 mm long. The corolla is composed of an upper orbicular petal (standard), two club-shaped lateral petals and a gutter-shaped lower petal (carina) in which the stamens are located. The filaments of all the stamens are welded into a tube. The petals are yellow, the standard is tinged with red or orange.
Fruit
The fruits are pods formed of 3 or 4 orbicular segments that disarticulate at maturity. The tegument of the pod is crosslinked. Each angle of the crosslinking has a thick and stiff bristle 1.5 to 2 mm long, with short, reflected teeth. Segments 3 and 4 exceed the bracts. Each segment contains a seed. At maturity, the segments of the pod disarticulate.
Seed
The seeds are flattened, semi-orbicular in shape of 2 mm in diameter.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Northern Cameroon: Zornia glochidiata is a species of early and middle crop cycle. Germination occurs from the first rains in May and June. Flowering and fruiting occur quickly (as early as July). After weeding or ridging in July or August, no new sprouts are observed, which explains the rarity of this species in plots cultivated at the end of the cycle. On the other hand, in fallows, Z. glochidiata continues to develop and produce seeds until the beginning of the dry season (November).
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Zornia glochidiata is an annual species. It multiplies only by seeds. At maturity, pod segments disarticulate and are transported primarily by animals and ants.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Characters to distinguish several species of Zornia
Cycle | Flower | Fruit | Fruit bristles | Species |
Annual | smaller than the bracts | 3-4 segments | 2 mm straight retrorsely hispid | Z. glochidiata |
Perennial | longer than the bracts | 5-7 segments | 1 mm straight retrorsely hispid | Z. latifolia |
Perennial | longer than the bracts | 3-5 segments | 3-4 mm straight with ascending hairs | Z. durumuensis |
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Northern Cameroon: Zornia glochidiata is a characteristic species of soils with a sandy surface horizon, such as degraded ferruginous soils on sandstone, ferruginous soils of sand dune. It grows mainly in the Sahelo-Sudanian region whose annual rainfall is between 600 and 800 mm but can meet up to the Sudano-Sahelian region where the annual rainfall can reach 1,200 mm. This weed mainly develops in traditional crops not receiving fertilizer or herbicide and more particularly in peanut crops because it is mostly grown on sandy soil.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Worldwide distribution
Zornia glochidiata is present throughout tropical Africa anf Madagascar.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Local harmfulness
North Cameroon: Zornia glochidiata is uncommon in cultivated plots in northern Cameroon, and remains a minor weed. It is more common and more abundant in recent fallows and pastures in the Sahelo-Sudanian regions.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Herbarium pictures ReCOLNAT: https://explore.recolnat.org/search/botanique/simplequery=Zornia%2520glochidiata
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Root | Root |
Kingdom | Plantae |
Phylum | Tracheophyta |
Class | Magnoliopsida |
Order | Fabales |
Family | Fabaceae |
Genus | Zornia |
Species | Zornia glochidiata DC. |