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This species is accepted, and its native range is Ethiopia to Malawi.

[FTEA]

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

Habit
Twining perennial herb, ± 2 m. long from a large fibrous or woody root-stock.
Stem
Stems velvety with dense adpressed ferruginous hairs, becoming glabrescent.
Leaves
Leaflets 3, narrowly ovate-oblong to ovate-lanceolate, less often ovate or ovate-elliptic, (1·2–)3–7 cm. long, (0·6–)1·3–4·8 cm. wide, acute and mucronulate at the apex, ± rounded at the base, sometimes with a slight trace of hastation, sparsely to densely softly pubescent on both surfaces; petiole 1·2–5 cm. long; rhachis 4–12 mm. long; petiolules 2 mm. long; stipules triangular-lanceolate, 3–5 mm. long, usually slightly bilobed at the base but not prolonged in the type.
Inflorescences
Inflorescence subumbellate; rhachis obsolete or up to 1·3 cm. long; peduncle 3–18 cm. long; pedicels 2–7 mm. long; bracteoles deciduous, lanceolate or ovate, 1·5–3·5 mm. long, ± bilobed at the base.
Calyx
Calyx finely adpressed pubescent; tube 3–6 mm. long; lateral lobes ovate or deltoid, 2–3 mm. long; lowest lobe lanceolate, 2·5–5 mm. long; upper pair joined to form an acute or bifid lip.
Corolla
Standard orange-yellow inside, greenish-yellow outside with brownish tinge or sometimes with small purple marks, obovate, 1·8–2·5 cm. long, 1·6–2·6 cm. wide, emarginate, glabrous.
Fruits
Pods held erect, cylindrical, 4–9·5 cm. long, 3·5–4 mm. wide, velvety with closely adpressed ferruginous hairs, ± 16-seeded; beak narrow and curved.
Seeds
Seeds reddish-brown mottled with black, oblong-ellipsoidal, longest dimension 3·3 mm., shorter dimension 2·5 mm., 2 mm. thick; hilum oblong, 1 mm. long; rim-aril not developed or only slightly developed.
Habitat
Upland grassland, bushland, forest edges, cultivated ground, sometimes by rivers and streams; 1350–2800 m.
Distribution
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 T2 T3 T4 T7 U1 U2

[ILDIS]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Lake Victoria regional mosaic; bushland and thicket, Afromontane grassland, Afromontane(upland) bushland and thicket., Lake Victoria regional transition zone; grasslands
Habit
Perennial, Climbing, Herb

[FZ]

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

Habit
Twining perennial herb, c. 2 m long from a large fibrous or woody rootstock.
Stem
Stem velvety with dense appressed ferruginous hairs, becoming glabrescent.
Leaflets
Leaflets 3, 3–7 × 1.3–4.8 cm, narrowly ovate-oblong to ovate-lanceolate, less often ovate or ovate-elliptic, acute and mucronulate at the apex, rounded-subcordate at the base, sometimes with a slight trace of hastation, sparsely to densely softly pubescent on both surfaces; petiole 1.2–5 cm long; rhachis 0.4–1.2 cm long; stipules 3–5 × 1.5 mm, triangular-lanceolate, not produced or slightly bilobed at the base, multinerved.
Inflorescences
Peduncle 3–18 cm × 1–2 mm, winged; rhachis obsolete or up to 17 mm long, 14-noded, internode c. 1 mm long.
Flowers
Flower yellow, 13–25 mm long; pedicel 2–8 mm long, expanding as the pod matures; bracteoles 1–3.5 × 0.5–0.8 mm, lanceolate or ovate, ciliolate, 1-nerved.
Calyx
Calyx finely appressed pubescent; tube 3–6 mm long; lobes 1.5 mm long, the lower twice as long as the laterals, the upper pair joined to form an acute or bifid lip.
Corolla
Standard 1.3–2.6 × 1.0–2.1 cm, longer than wide, obovate, with two small oblique appendages; keel slightly twisted towards the right or not twisted.
Anthers
Alternate anthers without a pair of glands at their base.
Pollen
Pollen exine not reticulate.
Ovary
Ovary 13–20-ovuled.
Fruits
Pod 4–9.5 cm × 3.5–4 mm, linear-cylindrical, almost straight, velvety with closely appressed ferruginous hairs, beak narrow, very slightly curved or straight.
Seeds
Seed 2.5–4 × 1.5–3 × 1.5–2 mm; hilum 0.5–1 mm long, slightly excentric; rim-aril not developed or only slightly developed.

Native to:

Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zaïre

Vigna schimperi Baker appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status
Tweedie, E.M. [423], Kenya 11643.000
Schimper [1539], Ethiopia K000263423

First published in D.Oliver & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Trop. Afr. 2: 201 (1871)

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.
  • Mackinder, B., Pasquet, R., Polhill, R. & Verdcourt, B. (2001). Flora Zambesiaca 3(5): 1-261. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • 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

  • Mackinder, B., Pasquet, R., Polhill, R. & Verdcourt, B. (2001). Flora Zambesiaca 3(5): 1-261. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • 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: 365 (1954).
  • A.J. Jex-Blake, Some Wild Flowers of Kenya p. 47, fig. 36 (1948).
  • Robyns, Flore des Spermatophytes du Parc National Albert 1: 362, t. 35 (1948).
  • Bak. f., Leguminosae of Tropical Africa: 404 (1929).
  • Bak. in Flora of Tropical Africa 2: 201 (1871).

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