Clitoria L.

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

Morphology General Habit

Climbing or erect herbs or shrubs

Morphology Leaves

Leaves pinnately (1–)3–9-foliolate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences few-flowered racemes, or flowers axillary, solitary or paired; bracteoles large

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 5-lobed

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Standard large, much exceeding the other petals

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style

Style bearded inside at the slightly dilated apex

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pod linear-oblong, compressed.

Distribution

Some 60-70 species in the tropics and subtropics of both hemispheres.

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

Morphology General Habit

Climbing or erect herbs or shrubs, rarely trees

Morphology Leaves

Leaves pinnately 3–9-foliolate, more rarely 1-foliolate; stipules and stipels present

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences few-flowered, racemose, or flowers axillary, solitary or paired, sometimes on the old wood; upper pairs of bracts connate; bracteoles large

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 5-lobed, upper pair of lobes joined only at the base

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla large, white, red or blue; standard large, much exceeding the other petals, rounded, erect, emarginate, without appendages

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Vexillary stamen free or ± joined to the bundle; anthers almost uniform or 5 dorsifixed alternating with 5 subbasifixed

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary stipitate, 2-many-ovuled

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Style elongated, incurved, bearded inside at the slightly dilated apex; stigma terminal

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Cleistogamous flowers occur in some species

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pod linear-oblong, compressed, sometimes longitudinally ribbed, filled with soft tissue but not septate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds subglobose or ellipsoid, compressed; hilum small, central or subcentral; aril not developed.

Legumes of the World. Edited by G. Lewis, B. Schrire, B. MacKinder & M. Lock. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. (2005)

Habit

Shrubs, lianas, herbs and trees

Ecology

Seasonally dry to wet tropical lowland and montane forest, woodland or scrubland and wooded grassland

Distribution

S America, C America, Caribbean and Mexico (c. 48 spp., centred in northern S America), Africa (4 spp.), Madagascar (2 spp.), Indian subcontinent (1 sp.), Indo-China, China, Malesia (6 spp.), Australia (1 sp.)

Note

Subtribe Clitoriinae, based on the bulk of molecular evidence to date, holds a basally branching position between the millettioid and phaseoloid clades

Previous accounts of the Phaseoleae by Baudet (1978) and Lackey (1981) recognised 90 and 84 genera and c. 1540 and 1480 species respectively in the tribe. In an equivalent, i.e. traditionally held view of Phaseoleae, 89 genera and (1554)–1567–(1580) species are treated here (Table 9; Fig. 47). Changes between Baudet (1978) and this treatment are that eleven genera are now in synonymy or have subsequently been placed in Millettieae, two genera have been transferred from Desmodieae and eight new genera have been added. Vigna has traditionally been thought to comprise some 150–200 species, but Vigna sens. strict. may contain fewer than 100.

Recent molecular analyses of the tribe, however, have emphasised both the polyphyletic and paraphyletic nature of Phaseoleae as traditionally circumscribed (Bruneau & Doyle, 1990; Doyle & Doyle, 1993; Delgado Salinas et al., 1993; Bruneau et al., 1995; Doyle et al., 1997, 2000; Kajita et al., 2001; Goel et al., 2001; Lee & Hymowitz, 2001). This has required a radical realignment of elements of the phaseoloids (Table 9; Fig. 47), with at least two major clades being evident: Phaseoleae subtribes Diocleinae and Ophrestiinae which together with tribe Abreae are allied to the core-Millettieae (Fig. 45), and the remaining groups comprising a Phaseoleae sens. lat. clade. The rbcL phylogeny of Kajita et al. (2001) and the ITS analysis of Hu et al. (2002) are equivocal as to which clade subtribe Clitoriinae belongs. Phaseoleae sens. lat. also includes two traditionally independent tribes, the Desmodieae and Psoraleeae. Delimiting a recircumscribed Phaseoleae sens. strict is thus very problematic. A solution may be to recognise a broad tribe Phaseoleae, comprising the subtribes Kennediinae, Cajaninae, Phaseolinae and Glycininae, assorted basally branching genera, and tribes Desmodieae and Psoraleeae (both treated at subtribal level).