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This species is accepted, and its native range is Egypt to Tanzania, Arabian Peninsula.

[ILDIS]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Somalia-Masai grasslands, Somalia-Masai bushland and thicket
Habit
Perennial, Not climbing, Herb/Shrub

[FTEA]

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

Habit
An intricate shrublet up to 50 cm. tall; young stems densely covered with stiff appressed white hairs; older stems glabrescent and often corky at the base.
Leaves
Stipules linear-subulate, 1–3 mm. long, strigose; petiole 2–4 mm. long; rhachis extending 0–1 mm. beyond lateral leaflets; leaflets 3, rarely up to 7, elliptic, cuneate-obovate or oblanceolate, up to 6 mm. long and 3 mm. wide, strigulose above, densely strigose beneath.
Inflorescences
Racemes numerous, with 2–3 flowers at and above the middle of the straw-coloured glabrescent 6–25 mm. long spinose axis; bracts minute, filiform, caducous; pedicels pilose, ± 0.5 mm. long.
Calyx
Calyx ± 2.5 mm. long; tube ± 1 mm. long; lobes equal, with subulate tips.
Corolla
Standard pubescent outside.
Stamens
Stamens 5–6 mm. long.
Fruits
Pod straight, somewhat tetragonal, ± 15–20 mm. long, ± 1.8 mm. wide and 1.6 mm. thick, strigulose, 6–9-seeded; endocarp spotted.
Figures
Fig. 40/1–13, p. 254.
Habitat
Semi-desert grassland (often abundant) and drier Acacia, Commiphora deciduous bushland; 60–1500 m.; rainfall 150–600 mm.
Distribution
K1 K2 K3 K4 K6 K7 T3

[FSOM]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Habit
Shrublet, much-branched, up to 50 cm tall
Leaflets
Leaflets 3(–7), opposite, elliptic, cuneate-obovate or oblanceolate, up to 9 x 4 mm, strigulose above, densely strigose beneath
Inflorescences
Axis of inflorescence 6–25(–40) mm long, ending in a glabrescent spine Racemes numerous, 2–4(–8)-flowered
Calyx
Calyx 1.2–2.5 mm long, divided to the middle
Corolla
Standard pubescent outside
Stamens
Stamens (3.2–)5–6 mm long
Fruits
Pod straight, 15–20 x 1.8 mm, strigulose, 6–9-seeded.
Distribution
N1–3; C2; S1; Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, N Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Arabia
Ecology
Altitude up to 1580 m.
Vernacular
Xajiin (Somali).

Native to:

Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gulf States, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Yemen

Indigofera spinosa Forssk. appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status
Quartin Dillon [s.n.], Ethiopia K000392734 isotype

First published in Fl. Aegypt.-Arab.: 137 (1775)

Accepted by

  • 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.
  • Dobignard, A. & Chatelain, C. (2012). Index synonymique de la flore d'Afrique du nord 4: 1-431. Éditions des conservatoire et jardin botaniques, Genève.
  • Jongbloed, M., Western, R.A. & Boer, B. (2000). Annotated Check-list for plants in the U.A.E.: 1-90. Zodiac Publishing, Dubai.
  • Boulos, L. (1999). Flora of Egypt 1: 1-419. Al Hadara Publishing, Cairo.
  • Wood, J.R.I. (1997). A handbook of the Yemen Flora: 1-434. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Audru, J., Cesar, J. & Lebrun, J.-P. (1994). Les Plantes Vasculaires de la République de Djibouti. Flore Illustrée 1: 1-336. CIRAD, Départerment d'Elevage et de Médecine vétérinaire, Djibouti.
  • Hedberg, I. & Edwards, S. (eds.) (1989 publ. 1990). Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea 3: 1-659. The National Herbarium, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia & The Department of Systematic Botany, Upps.
  • Milgahid, A.M. (1989). Flora of Saudi Arabia, ed. 3, 2: 1-282. University Libraries, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Literature

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • 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.
  • Jongbloed, M., Western, R.A. & Boer, B. (2000). Annotated Check-list for plants in the U.A.E.: 1-90. Zodiac Publishing, Dubai.
  • Boulos, L. (1999). Flora of Egypt 1: 1-419. Al Hadara Publishing, Cairo.
  • Wood, J.R.I. (1997). A handbook of the Yemen Flora: 1-434. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Audru, J., Cesar, J. & Lebrun, J.-P. (1994). Les Plantes Vasculaires de la République de Djibouti. Flore Illustrée 1: 1-336. CIRAD, Départerment d'Elevage et de Médecine vétérinaire, Djibouti.
  • Hedberg, I. & Edwards, S. (eds.) (1989 publ. 1990). Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea 3: 1-659. The National Herbarium, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia & The Department of Systematic Botany, Upps.
  • Milgahid, A.M. (1989). Flora of Saudi Arabia, ed. 3, 2: 1-282. University Libraries, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Flora of Somalia

  • Flora Somalia, Vol 1, (1993) Author: by M. Thulin [updated by M. Thulin 2008]

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • Gillett in Kew Bulletin, Add. Ser. 1: 51 (1958).
  • Bak. in Flora of Tropical Africa 2: 77 (1871), pro majore parte.
  • Jaub. & Spach, Ill. Pl. Or., t. 490–1 (1856).
  • Forsk., Fl. Aegypt.-Arab.: 137 (1775).

International Legume Database and Information Service

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

Flora of Somalia
Flora of Somalia
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
'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