Eriosema youngii Baker f.

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

Morphology General Habit

Perennial herb, with a single ascending or decumbent stem up to 20 cm. long, bearing 1–2 trailing branches near the base; rootstock a tuber 2·5 cm. long, 1·3 cm. wide.

Morphology Stem

Stems slender, covered with spreading or somewhat adpressed hairs, often glabrescent below.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves 1-foliolate; leaflet linear to narrowly elliptic, 1·5–13 cm. long, 0·25–1·3 cm. wide, acute, cuneate, pilose above, often only sparingly so, and near the margins, similarly so beneath on the main nerves, densely glandular beneath; venation slightly raised on both surfaces; petiolule ± 2 mm. long; stipules 0·4–1·3 cm. long, ± 1 mm. wide, sparsely pilose, veined.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences axillary, 2–4-flowered; peduncle (1·2–)2–5·5 cm. long, with spreading or adpressed hairs; bracts minute, deciduous, ± 2 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx covered with spreading hairs and glands, 3–3·5 mm. long; lobes lanceolate, longer than the tube.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Standard yellow inside, veined or flushed reddish-brown outside, obovate to obovate-spathulate, 4·5–6 mm. long, 3–4·5 mm. wide, pubescent and glandular in the median area.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pod oblong, 9–10 mm. long, 5 mm. wide, acute, covered with ferruginous hairs ± 1 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds brown with dark speckling, ovoid, compressed; longest dimension 2–3 mm., shorter dimension 2 mm., 1·2 mm. thick; rim-aril cream.

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation

Not Threatened

Ecology

Africa: Sudanian wooded grassland, Zambezian grassland, Sudanian grasslands, Zambezian wooded grassland

Morphology General Habit

Perennial, Not climbing, Herb

Leguminosae, B. Mackinder, R. Pasquet, R. Polhill and B. Verdcourt. Flora Zambesiaca 3:5. 2001

Morphology General Habit

Perennial herb, with a single ascending or decumbent stem up to 20 cm long, bearing 1–2 trailing branches near the base; rootstock a tuber, 2.5 × 1.3 cm.

Morphology Stem

Stems slender, covered with spreading or somewhat appressed hairs, often glabrescent below.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves 1-foliolate; leaflet 1.5–13 × 0.25–1.3 cm, linear to narrowly elliptic, acute, cuneate, pilose above, often only sparingly so, and near the margins, similarly so beneath on the main nerves, densely glandular beneath; venation slightly raised on both surfaces; petiolule c. 2 mm long; stipules 4–13 × 1 mm, sparsely pilose, veined.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences axillary, 2–4-flowered; peduncle (1.2)2–5.5 cm long, with spreading or appressed hairs; bracts minute, deciduous, c. 2 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx covered with spreading hairs and glands, 3–3.5 mm long; lobes lanceolate, longer than the tube.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Standard yellow inside, veined or flushed reddish-brown outside, 4.5–6 × 3–4.5 mm, obovate to obovate-spathulate, pubescent and glandular in the median area.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pod 9–10 × 5 mm, oblong, acute, covered with ferruginous hairs c. 1 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds brown with dark speckling, 2–3 × 2 × 1.2 mm, ovoid, compressed; rim aril cream-coloured.

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

Morphology General Habit

A slender-stemmed herb

Morphology Leaves

Linear leaves

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers yellow tinged red.