Fabaceae
Platysepalum

Platysepalum inopinatum Harms

First published in Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 12: 510 (1935)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tanzania to Mozambique. It is a shrub or liana and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Flora Zambesiaca Leguminosae subfamily Papillionoideae by B. Verdcourt

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a narrow terminal many-flowered panicle 7–20 cm long, the lateral branches under 0.5 to 3 cm long, 2–5-flowered; bracts c.3 mm long, ovate, pubescent, deciduous; bracteoles at calyx base, c.2 mm long, ovate; pedicels up to 6 mm long. Inflorescence a narrow terminal many-flowered panicle 7–20 cm long, the lateral branches under 0.5 to 3 cm long, 2–5-flowered; bracts c.3 mm long, ovate, pubescent, deciduous; bracteoles at calyx base, c.2 mm long, ovate; pedicels up to 6 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx greenish-brown, velvety; tube c.3 mm long; upper lip longitudinally wrinkled in bud, bilabiate, 15 × 22 mm wide at apex, 8 mm wide at base; the 3 lower teeth c.8 × 3 mm. Calyx greenish-brown, velvety; tube c.3 mm long; upper lip longitudinally wrinkled in bud, bilabiate, 15 × 22 mm wide at apex, 8 mm wide at base; the 3 lower teeth c.8 × 3 mm.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla lilac, mauve or wine-red, scarcely exserted; standard 14 × 21 mm, oblate, emarginate, glabrous, with transverse callus on each side of base, claw 4 mm long; blade of wing 13 × 11 cm, obtriangular, with auricle 2.5 mm long and claw 3 mm long; blades of keel petals c.12 × 10 mm, ± semicircular, with auricle 15 mm long and a small pocket near its base, claw 6 mm long. Corolla lilac, mauve or wine-red, scarcely exserted; standard 14 × 21 mm, oblate, emarginate, glabrous, with transverse callus on each side of base, claw 4 mm long; blade of wing 13 × 11 cm, obtriangular, with auricle 2.5 mm long and claw 3 mm long; blades of keel petals c.12 × 10 mm, ± semicircular, with auricle 15 mm long and a small pocket near its base, claw 6 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamen sheath 8–9 mm long with free parts 7–8 mm long; anthers 1.6 mm long; upper filament almost free, widened at the base, 12 mm long. Stamen sheath 8–9 mm long with free parts 7–8 mm long; anthers 1.6 mm long; upper filament almost free, widened at the base, 12 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Nectaries
Nectarial disk 10-lobed, 1–1.5 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary 12 mm long, 8-ovuled, densely silky pubescent; style glabrous curved through 90°.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods 6.5–10 × 1.5–2.3 cm, narrowly oblong, densely rusty pubescent, 4–6-seeded. Pods 6.5–10 × 1.5–2.3 cm, narrowly oblong, densely rusty pubescent, 4–6-seeded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds blackish, elliptic, 10 mm long (immature). Seeds blackish, elliptic, 10 mm long (immature).
Distribution
Also in S Tanzania.
Ecology
Evergreen bushland on orange sandy soil, also on tall trees in forest (‘laurisilva’); under 200 m.
Conservation
Conservation notes: Limited distribution; possibly Vulnerable.
Morphology General Habit
Small tree, shrub or liane 4–6 m tall; branchlets grey, pubescent when young. Small tree, shrub or liane 4–6 m tall; branchlets grey, pubescent when young.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 5–7-foliolate; petiole 2.5 cm long, brown-yellow pubescent; rachis up to 4.5 cm long; leaflets 3–8 × 2–4 cm, elliptic to oblanceolate or oblong, broadly acute at the apex, narrowed to a rounded base, glabrous on upper surface, appressed-pubescent beneath and sometimes with a golden sheen, lateral nerves 6–7 on each side; stipules 2–5 × 2 mm, triangular, fibrous, deciduous; stipels 1.5–2 mm long, subulate; petiolules 1–1.5 mm long. Leaves 5–7-foliolate; petiole 2.5 cm long, brown-yellow pubescent; rachis up to 4.5 cm long; leaflets 3–8 × 2–4 cm, elliptic to oblanceolate or oblong, broadly acute at the apex, narrowed to a rounded base, glabrous on upper surface, appressed-pubescent beneath and sometimes with a golden sheen, lateral nerves 6–7 on each side; stipules 2–5 × 2 mm, triangular, fibrous, deciduous; stipels 1.5–2 mm long, subulate; petiolules 1–1.5 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc
Nectarial disk 10-lobed, 1–1.5 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary 12 mm long, 8-ovuled, densely silky pubescent; style glabrous curved through 90°.
[FZ]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/179648/183113296

Conservation
VU - vulnerable
[IUCN]

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

Morphology General Habit
Small tree, shrub or liane; twigs grey, pubescent when young.
Morphology General Buds
Buds inconspicuous.
Morphology Leaves
Stipules triangular, fibrous, caducous, 2–5 mm. long and 2 mm. broad; leaf-rhachis khaki pubescent, up to 7 cm. long, including a petiole of up to 2.5 cm., prolonged 3–7 mm. beyond the lateral leaflets; stipellae subulate, 1.5–2 mm. long; petiolules khaki pubescent, 1–1.5 mm. long; leaflets 5 or, more often, 7, elliptic or oblanceolate with a short broad oblanceolate tip, rounded and narrowed at the base, glabrous above, appressed pubescent, sometimes with a golden sheen, beneath; principal nerves 6–7 on each side, not reaching the margin.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a khaki pubescent terminal panicle, the side branches each with 2–5 flowers and mostly under 5 mm. long but the lower ones sometimes up to 2 cm.; bracts ovate, up to 3 mm. long, pubescent, caducous; pedicel up to 6 mm. long; bracteoles at calyx-base, ovate, ± 2 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx velvety, greenish-brown; upper lip longitudinally wrinkled in the bud, resembling the standard in shape, ± 14 mm. long, 8 mm. wide at the base and 22 mm. wide near the tip when mature, notched at the apex, with 8 branching longitudinal veins and a well-marked vein-network between; lower teeth some 8 mm. long and 3 mm. wide near the base, the 2 lateral ones asymmetric; calyx-tube ± 3 mm. long above the insertion of the stamens and 2 mm. below.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla mauve, strongly veined, glabrous; blade of standard emarginate, with a callous transverse fold at each side of its base, ± 14 mm. long and 21 mm. wide, the claw broad, tapering, ± 4 mm. long and 3 mm. wide at the base; claws of wings and keel attached to filament-sheath; wings 16 mm. long including a claw of 3 mm., the blade folded at the base, 11 mm. wide near the tip, the auricle 2.5 mm. long; keel 18 mm. long including a claw of 6 mm., pouched at the sides, ± 10 mm. wide, with an auricle of 1.5 mm.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Vexillary stamen free, curved and widened at the base, some 12 mm. long; filament-sheath 8–9 mm. long, free parts 7–8 mm. long and curved through 90°; anthers 1.6–1.7 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc
Disc (nectary) 1–1.5 mm. long, collar-shaped, 10-lobed at the edge, closely clasping the ovary-base.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary 12 mm. long, densely silky pubescent, with 8 ovules at and below the middle; style glabrous, gradually curved through 90°; stigma small, punctate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Immature pods suboblong, the upper margin curved, up to 10 cm. long and 2.3 cm. wide, densely rusty tomentose, paler towards the margin, 4–6-seeded, or fewer by abortion; sutures, especially the upper, slightly thickened; beak short, somewhat down-curved.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Immature seeds oblong, flat, obliquely transverse.
Figures
Fig. 23, p. 121.
Habitat
Lowland dry evergreen forest margins and secondary growth; 10–250 m.; rainfall 900–1100 mm.
Distribution
T6 T8
[FTEA]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Zanzibar-Inhambane regional transition zone; forest
Morphology General Habit
Perennial, Climbing/Not climbing, Shrub/Tree
[ILDIS]

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: threatened. Confidence: low confidence
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • International Legume Database and Information Service

    • International Legume Database and Information Service (ILDIS) V10.39 Nov 2011
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0