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This species is accepted, and its native range is Tropical Africa.

[FWTA]

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

Habit
Erect scabrid herb up to 3 ft. tall or more.

[ILDIS]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Zambezian anthropic landscapes., Zambezian grassland, Sudanian grasslands, Sudanian anthropic landscapes
Habit
Annual, Not climbing, Herb

[FTEA]

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

Habit
Erect annual with a taproot, up to 1.3 m. tall, scabrous-hispidulous throughout, the hairs often brownish.
Leaves
Leaves simple; stipules stiff, narrow, attenuate, up to 7 mm. long; petiole 1–2 mm. long; blade linear-lanceolate, acute, up to 7 cm. long and 8 mm. wide.
Inflorescences
Inflorescence of numerous shortly pedunculate head-like panicles at the ends of the main branches and in the axils of reduced leaves, densely covered with stiff brownish spreading hairs up to ± 1 mm. long; pedicels ±1.5 mm. long, rather longer than the bracts.
Calyx
Calyx deeply divided, ± 3 mm. long, a little shorter than the stamens which dry almost black.
Corolla
Standard elliptic, ± 5 mm. long, including a subulate tip 0.5 mm. long, like the keel densely hispid outside; wings glabrous.
Fruits
Fruit ± 4 mm. long and 2 mm. wide, densely brownish hispid, 2-seeded.
Habitat
Overgrazed areas, old cultivation and open spots with shallow soil; 900–1800 m.; rainfall 1100–1500 mm.
Distribution
Ivory Coast to Sudan, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Angola T1 T4 T7 T8 U1 U3 U4

Native to:

Angola, Benin, Burkina, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Repu, Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zaïre

Indigofera polysphaera Baker appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status
Jan 1, 1997 Bidgood, S. [3621], Tanzania K000624280
Jan 1, 1996 Liben, L. [2541], Congo, DRC K000624272
Jan 1, 1972 Geerling, C. [1268], Burkina Faso K000624261
Oct 10, 1969 Jackson, J.A.D. [677], Nigeria K000624267
Jan 1, 1959 Leeuwenberg, A.J.M. [1993], Côte d'Ivoire K000624260
Jan 1, 1958 s.coll. [14043], Angola K000624288
Bullock, A.A. [2819], Tanzania K000624283
Latilo, M.G. [23542], Nigeria K000624266
Fanshawe, D.B. [8651], Zambia K000624287
Mullenders, W. [186], Congo, DRC K000624270
Chevalier, A. [22146], Ivory Coast K000392683 isotype
Wood, G.H.S. [716], Uganda K000624278
Myers, J.G. [7741], Sudan K000624276
Tanner, R. [4886], Tanzania K000624284
Milne-Redhead, E. [9646], Tanzania K000624281
Milne-Redhead, E. [9646], Tanzania K000624282
Hambler, D.J. [358], Nigeria K000624264
Hambler, D.J. [358], Nigeria K000624265
Fay, J.M. [5960], Central African Republic K000624268
Letouzey, R. [7690], Cameroon K000624274
Richards, H.M. [8857], Zambia K000624286
Ern, H. [2046], Togo K000624263
Carson, A. [70 of 1894 collection] K000392938 Unknown type material
Reekmans, M. [8989], Burundi K000624273
Christiaensen, A.R. [1175], Congo, DRC K000624269
Sanane, M. [474], Zambia K000624285
Innes, R.R. [2129], Ghana K000624262
Katende, A.B. [649], Uganda K000624279
Boussim, J. [1499], Mali K000624259
Schlechter, R. [1899], Gabon K000624275
Purseglove, J.W. [1039], Uganda K000624277

First published in Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1895: 65 (1895)

Accepted by

  • van der Maesen, L.J.G. & Sosef, M.S.M. (2016). Flore du Gabon 49: 1-407. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris.
  • Darbyshire, I., Kordofani, M., Farag, I., Candiga, R. & Pickering, H. (eds.) (2015). The Plants of Sudan and South Sudan: 1-400. Kew publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Schrire, B.D. (2012). Flora Zambesiaca 3(4): 1-245. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Figueiredo, E. & Smith, G.F. (2008). Plants of Angola Strelitzia 22: 1-279. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
  • Akoègninou, A., van der Burg, W.J. & van der Maesen, L.J.G. (eds.) (2006). Flore Analytique du Bénin: 1-1034. Backhuys Publishers.
  • Lebrun, J.p., Toutain, B., Gaston, A. & Boudet, G. (1991). Catalogue des Plantes Vasculaires du Burkina Faso: 1-341. Institut d' Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux, Maisons Alfort.
  • Lock, J.M. (1989). Legumes of Africa a check-list: 1-619. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Boudet, G., Lebrun, J.P. & Demange, R. (1986). Catalogue des plantes vasculaires du Mali: 1-465. Etudes d'Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux.
  • Brunel, J.F., Hiepo, P. & Scholz, H. (eds.) (1984). Flore Analytique du Togo Phanérogames: 1-751. GTZ, Eschborn.
  • Boulvert, Y. (1977). Catalogue de la Flore de Centrafrique 2(1): 1-85. ORSTROM, Bangui.

Literature

Flora of West Tropical Africa

  • Cronq. in Fl. Congo Belge 5: 128.
  • Bak. f. Leg. Trop. Afr. 1: 103
  • in Kew Bull. 1895: 65

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • van der Maesen, L.J.G. & Sosef, M.S.M. (2016). Flore du Gabon 49: 1-407. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris.
  • Schrire, B.D. (2012). Flora Zambesiaca 3(4): 1-245. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Figueiredo, E. & Smith, G.F. (2008). Plants of Angola Strelitzia 22: 1-279. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
  • Akoègninou, A., van der Burg, W.J. & van der Maesen, L.J.G. (eds.) (2006). Flore Analytique du Bénin: 1-1034. Backhuys Publishers.
  • Lebrun, J.p., Toutain, B., Gaston, A. & Boudet, G. (1991). Catalogue des Plantes Vasculaires du Burkina Faso: 1-341. Institut d' Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux, Maisons Alfort.
  • Lock, J.M. (1989). Legumes of Africa a check-list: 1-619. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Boudet, G., Lebrun, J.P. & Demange, R. (1986). Catalogue des plantes vasculaires du Mali: 1-465. Etudes d'Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux.
  • Brunel, J.F., Hiepo, P. & Scholz, H. (eds.) (1984). Flore Analytique du Togo Phanérogames: 1-751. GTZ, Eschborn.
  • Boulvert, Y. (1977). Catalogue de la Flore de Centrafrique 2(1): 1-85. ORSTROM, Bangui.

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • Torre in Consp. Fl. Angol. 3: 104 (1962).
  • Gillett in Flora of West Tropical Africa, ed. 2, 1: 538 (1958)
  • Gillett in Kew Bulletin, Add. Ser. 1: 27 (1958).
  • Cronquist in Flore du Congo Belge et du Ruanda-Urundi, 5: 128 (1954).
  • Bak. in Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information, Kew 1895: 65 (1895).

International Legume Database and Information Service

  • Gillett, J. B. et al. (1971). Papilionoideae. In: Fl. Trop. E. Africa, Milne-Redhead & Polhill

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

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

Herbarium Catalogue Specimens
'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/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 Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0