Fabaceae
Dolichos

Dolichos pseudocajanus Welw. ex Baker

First published in D.Oliver & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Trop. Afr. 2: 215 (1871)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical Africa. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Erect herb 60–180 cm tall, arising from a perennial woody rootstock.
Morphology Stem
Stems annual, ribbed, pubescent or with lines of appressed hairs along the ribs and pubescent in between.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves pinnately 3-foliolate; leaflets 1.8–7.2(11) × 1.6–4.2(5) cm, narrowly oblong-elliptic, subacute or rounded at the apex, mucronate and with an apical tuft of hairs, rounded at the base, appressed pubescent on both surfaces, more densely so on the veins of the lower surface, or sparsely pilose to velvety, discolorous; petiole 0.5–7 cm long; rhachis 0.3–5 cm long; petiolules 1.5–3 mm long; stipules 4–12 × 1–3 mm, lanceolate, striate, persistent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers axillary, solitary, in pairs or in 3–4-flowered fascicles, the late or lack of development of the leaves giving these few-flowered fascicles the appearance of a terminal pseudoraceme; pedicels 5–10 mm long; bracts absent; bracteoles 1–2 mm long, lanceolate, persistent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx pubescent; tube 3–5 mm long; lobes 2–5 mm long, triangular, upper pair completely fused.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard purple, crimson inside at the base, greenish outside, sometimes mostly green or yellow, 11–14 × 10–12 mm, round or nearly so; wings mostly mauve or blue; keel green or cream-coloured.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary 6–9 mm long, linear-oblong, compressed, tomentose; style 3–5 mm long, stigma minute, terminal, capitate, penicillate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods 2.5–4.3 cm × 4–10 mm, oblanceolate, appressed pubescent with mixed short and very short hairs, 5–6-seeded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds reddish-brown speckled black, 4–5 × 4–5 × 1–2 mm, square, compressed.
[FZ]

International Legume Database and Information Service

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

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

Morphology General Habit
Subshrubby erect herb 0·6–1·8 m. tall from a woody rootstock.
Morphology Stem
Stems ridged, hairy or with lines of adpressed hairs along the ridges and pubescent in between.
Morphology Leaves
Leaflets 3, paler beneath, narrowly oblong-elliptic, 1·8–12 cm. long, 0·6–4·2 cm. wide, subacute or rounded at the apex and mucronulate, the mucro emphasized by a tuft of hairs, narrowly rounded at the base, adpressed pubescent on both surfaces, but particularly on the nerves beneath, or sparsely pilose to velvety beneath; petiole 0·5–7 cm. long; rhachis 0·35–2 cm. long; petiolules 1·5–3 mm. long; stipules persistent, lanceolate, 4·5–12 mm. long, 1–3 mm. wide, veined.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers axillary, 1–4 per axil and also forming terminal inflorescences; true peduncle obsolete; pedicels 5–10 mm. long; bracteoles persistent, lanceolate, 1·5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx pubescent; tube ± 3·5 mm. long; lobes triangular, short, ± 1–2·5 mm. long, the upper pair united into an entire lip.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard dull mauve, crimson inside at base, often green outside, sometimes mostly green or yellow, round, 1·25–1·4 cm. long, 1–1·2 cm. wide; wings mostly mauve or blue; keel green or cream.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods oblanceolate, 2·7–4·5 cm. long, 0·55–1 cm. wide, adpressed puberulous with mixed short and minute hairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds red-brown with black speckling, squarish, compressed, 4·5 mm. square, 1·5 mm. thick, margin rather keeled; hilum small and aril obsolete.
Habitat
Deciduous woodland, rocky places; 500–1500 m.
Distribution
a variant in Ghana T4 T6 T7
[FTEA]

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