Eriosema ukingense Harms

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation

Not Threatened

Ecology

Africa: Afromontane grassland

Morphology General Habit

Perennial, Not climbing, Herb

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

Morphology General Habit

Erect pyrophytic herb, with several usually unbranched or sparsely branched stems (7–) 15–35 cm. tall from a woody rootstock.

Morphology Stem

Stems of few to many internodes, often very leafy, covered with long and short hairs.

Morphology Leaves

Leaflets 3, paler beneath, often silvery, narrowly elliptic to linear-lanceolate, 1·6–11·5 cm. long, 0·3–1·7 cm. wide, acute to rounded but mucronulate at the apex, cuneate or shortly rounded at the base, pubescent above and on the main nerves and midrib beneath, but rest of leaflet-surface beneath glabres-cent but glandular with the small veins appearing dark, main venation deeply impressed above, prominent beneath, the leaflet-surface appearing rugose, the 4 basal nerves extending to halfway along the blade or almost to the apex; petioles 2–6 mm. long; rhachis 2–11 mm. long; petiolules 1·5 mm. long; stipules oblong-lanceolate to linear, 0·8–2 cm. long, 2 mm. wide, pubescent, veined.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Racemes axillary, the flowering part 2–5 cm. long, 1·7–2·3 cm. wide; peduncle 4–11 cm. long, covered with long and short hairs; pedicels 1–2 mm. long, strongly deflexed; bracts subpersistent, lanceolate, 4–8 mm. long, ± 1 mm. wide, pubescent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx covered with ± adpressed ferruginous or blackish bristly pubescence, 3·5–7 mm. long; teeth triangular, equalling or shorter than the tube.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Standard brownish, pinkish or yellow with brown veins outside, yellow or cream inside, obovate-oblong, 6·5–11 mm. long, 4–8 mm. wide, often emarginate, with adpressed often ferruginous bristly pubescence in middle area outside particularly towards the claw; wings and keel yellow or cream, often with a dark apex.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pods oblong, 11 mm. long, 6–8 mm. wide, covered with long hairs, short hairs and glands.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds not seen.

Habitat

Seasonally burnt upland grassland; 2100–2600 m.

Distribution

T7 T8

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