Fabaceae
Dolichos

Dolichos petiolatus R.Wilczek

First published in Bull. Jard. Bot. État Bruxelles 24: 423 (1954)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tanzania to S. Tropical Africa. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Erect perennial herb 30–40 cm. tall; rootstock woody, spherical, ± 5 cm. in diameter, containing a dark red resinous substance.
Morphology Stem
Stems probably single or few from each stock, sparsely branched above, usually zigzag, almost glabrous or shortly hairy.
Morphology Leaves
Leaflets 3, narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, 6–27 cm. long, 0·3–2·5 cm. wide, acute at the apex, cuneate at the base, glabrous or shortly hairy, very conspicuously 3-nerved from base to apex; petiole 1·7–6·5 cm. long; rhachis obsolete; petiolules 1·5–4 mm. long; stipules eventually deciduous, oblong-lanceolate, 1·8–2·2 cm. long, 2–7 mm. wide, with dotted lines of dark pigment.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers 1-many in axillary fascicles; peduncle obsolete; pedicels 0·7–4·5 cm. long, glabrous; bracteoles minute, linear.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx glabrous; tube ± 2·5–3 mm. long; lower 3 lobes narrowly triangular, 2–3 mm. long, the upper pair joined to form a blunt lip.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard purple, paler outside, elliptic or almost round, 1·6–2·2 cm. long, 1·5 cm. wide; keel purple, cream at the base.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, 5·2–6·5 cm. long, 9 mm. wide, glabrous on the faces, but sparsely ciliate along the margins.
Habitat
Grassland with scattered trees, Brachystegia woodland; 1400–1590 m.
Distribution
T4 T7
[FTEA]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Zambezian woodland, Zambezian wooded grassland
Morphology General Habit
Perennial, Not climbing, Herb
[ILDIS]

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

Morphology General Habit
Erect herb 30–40 cm tall, arising from a perennial spherical woody rootstock.
Morphology Stem
Stems annual, sparsely branched, usually zigzag, glabrous or sparsely pubescent.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves digitately 3-foliolate; leaflets 3.6–19(28.5) × 0.2–1.8 cm, narrowly elliptic or narrowly lanceolate, apex acute, base cuneate, glabrous or shortly pubescent, strongly 3-veined from base to apex; petiole 1.8–8(11) cm; petiolules 1–2 mm; stipules 10–14 × 2–7 mm, lanceolate, with lines of dark red pigment dots, caducous; stipels minute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers axillary, solitary, in pairs or in 3–8-flowered fascicles; pedicels 3–24 mm long, sparsely to densely villous; bracts absent; bracteoles minute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx tube 2–3 mm long, glabrous; lobes sparsely spreading pubescent; lower lobes 2–3 mm long, narrowly triangular; upper pair 3 mm long, fused for almost all of their length.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard purple, greenish or brownish, paler outside, 16–22 × 14–16 mm, elliptic or almost round; wings and keel purple, cream-coloured at the base.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary 5–7 mm long, linear-oblong, compressed, pubescent; style 5–10 mm long; stigma minute, terminal, capitate, penicillate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods 5.2–6.5 cm × 6–9 mm, narrowly elliptic to narrowly lanceolate, glabrous on the valve faces, but sparsely ciliate along the margins.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds unknown.
[FZ]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • 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 Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0