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This species is accepted, and its native range is Cameroon to Eritrea and S. Tropical Africa, SW. Arabian Peninsula.

[FZ]

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

Habit
Annual or perennial climbing, or rarely suberect, herb, 0.9–7 m long.
Stem
Stem pubescent, covered with spreading often dark ferruginous hairs 0.5–2 mm long.
Leaflets
Leaflets 3, 4.5–15 × 1–5 cm, oblong or ovate-lanceolate or ovate-oblong to linear-lanceolate, narrowly rounded to acuminate and apiculate at the apex, rounded or subcordate at the base, sparsely to densely pubescent on both surfaces; petiole 4–6 cm long; rhachis 0.7–1.5 cm long; stipules 2–4 × 1–1.5 mm, ovate-lanceolate, bilobed at the base, multinerved.
Inflorescences
Peduncle 5–15 cm × 0.5–1.5 mm, pubescent; rhachis 0.7–2 cm long, 4–6-noded, internodes 1–4 mm long.
Flowers
Flower blue to mauve and violet, 11–14 × 12–15 mm; pedicel 1–4 mm long, expanding as the pod matures; bracteoles 1.5–5 mm long, ovate-lanceolate, multinerved, rarely 1- or 3-nerved.
Calyx
Calyx pubescent; tube 1.5–2.5 mm long; lobes 1–4 mm long, deltate, the lower as long as the laterals, the upper pair united to form an entire or slightly bifid lobe.
Corolla
Standard pubescent or velvety outside with appressed hairs, with two U-shaped appendages inside; keel slightly twisted towards the right, with a short beak.
Ovary
Ovary 6–10-ovuled.
Fruits
Pod 3.5–4.5 cm × 4–5 mm, linear-cylindrical, S-shaped, slightly pubescent to densely covered with spreading, dark ferruginous bristly hairs, with a short curved beak.
Seeds
Seed 4–5.5 × 2–3.5 × c. 2 mm; hilum excentric; aril very excentric.

[ILDIS]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Guinea-Congolia/Sudania regional transition zone; grasslands., Lake Victoria regional transition zone; grasslands, Lake Victoria regional mosaic; bushland and thicket, Guinea-Congolia/Zambezia regional transition zone: bushland and thicket.
Habit
Annual, Climbing/Not climbing, Herb

[FTEA]

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

Habit
Annual or perennial climbing, scrambling or sometimes even suberect herb, ± 1 m. long.
Stem
Stems covered with spreading, often dark ferruginous hairs.
Leaves
Leaflets 3, ovate to narrowly oblong-lanceolate or lanceolate, 1·7–8·5 cm. long, 0·5–3·3 cm. wide, narrowly rounded to acute and acuminate at the apex, rounded at the base, pubescent on both surfaces; petiole 1–6 cm. long; rhachis 0·4–1·3 cm. long; petiolules 2–3 mm. long; stipules ovate-lanceolate, 3–4 mm. long, bilobed at the base.
Inflorescences
Inflorescences axillary; rhachis 0·7–2 cm. long; peduncles 1–10 cm. long; pedicels 1–4 mm. long; bracteoles sub-persistent, lanceolate, 3 mm. long, slightly produced below the point of attachment.
Calyx
Calyx pubescent with mostly dark ferruginous spreading bristly hairs; tube 2–2·5 mm. long; lobes narrowly triangular-lanceolate, 3–4 mm. long, the upper pair united into a slightly bifid lip.
Corolla
Standard blue or violet, sometimes tinged green outside, rounded, 1·1 cm. long, 1·2 cm. wide, adpressed velvety outside; wings deep mauve; keel almost white.
Fruits
Pods linear, compressed, 1·5–4·3 cm. long, 4·5–6 mm. wide, densely covered with spreading, dark ferruginous bristly hairs, particularly noticeable when young.
Seeds
Seeds stone-grey to dark reddish-brown, with black mottling, longest dimension 4 mm., shorter dimension 2·5–3 mm., 2 mm. thick; aril very eccentric, usually shorter and more cordate than in the next species.
Habitat
Grassland, also a weed in wheat fields; 1680–2010 m.
Distribution
K3 T7 U1

Native to:

Angola, Cameroon, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia, Zaïre

Vigna heterophylla A.Rich. appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status
Aug 1, 2010 Biye, E. [97], Cameroon K000746559
Schimper [464], Ethiopia K000263419
Schimper [465], Ethiopia K000263420
Petit [s.n.], Ethiopia K000263416
Petit [s.n.], Ethiopia K000263417
Schimper, M.W. [243], Ethiopia K000263418 Unknown type material

First published in Tent. Fl. Abyss. 1: 218 (1847)

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.
  • Brundu, G. & Camarda, I. (2013). The Flora of Chad: a checklist and brief analysis PhytoKeys 23: 1-18.
  • Thiombiano, A., Schmidt, M., Dressler, S., Ouédraogo, A., Hahn, K. & Zizka, G. (2012). Catalogue des plantes vasculaires du Burkina Faso Boissiera 65: 1-391.
  • Figueiredo, E. & Smith, G.F. (2008). Plants of Angola Strelitzia 22: 1-279. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
  • Catarino, L., Sampaio Martins, E., Pinto-Basto, M.F. & Diniz, M.A. (2006). Plantas Vasculares e Briófitos da Guiné-Bissau: 1-298. Instituto de investigação científica tropical, Instituto Português de apoio ao desenvolvimento.
  • Mackinder, B., Pasquet, R., Polhill, R. & Verdcourt, B. (2001). Flora Zambesiaca 3(5): 1-261. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Wood, J.R.I. (1997). A handbook of the Yemen Flora: 1-434. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • 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.
  • Lock, J.M. (1989). Legumes of Africa a check-list: 1-619. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Troupin, G. (ed.) (1983). Flora du Rwanda 2: 1-603. Musee Royal de l'Afrique Centrale.

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.
  • Brundu, G. & Camarda, I. (2013). The Flora of Chad: a checklist and brief analysis PhytoKeys 23: 1-18.
  • Figueiredo, E. & Smith, G.F. (2008). Plants of Angola Strelitzia 22: 1-279. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
  • Mackinder, B., Pasquet, R., Polhill, R. & Verdcourt, B. (2001). Flora Zambesiaca 3(5): 1-261. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Wood, J.R.I. (1997). A handbook of the Yemen Flora: 1-434. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • 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.
  • Lock, J.M. (1989). Legumes of Africa a check-list: 1-619. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Troupin, G. (ed.) (1983). Flora du Rwanda 2: 1-603. Musee Royal de l'Afrique Centrale.

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • Wilczek in Flore du Congo Belge et du Ruanda-Urundi, 6: 377 (1954).
  • Bak. f., Leguminosae of Tropical Africa: 410 (1929).
  • Bak. in E.T.A. 2: 197 (1871).
  • A. Rich., Tent. Fl. Abyss. 1: 218 (1847).

International Legume Database and Information Service

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

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
'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