Fabaceae
Dolichos

Dolichos sericeus E.Mey.

First published in Comm. Pl. Afr. Austr.: 141 (1836)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical & S. Africa. It is a scrambling 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
Perennial climbing or prostrate herb 0·6–2·1 m. long.
Morphology Stem
Stems slender, covered with spreading or adpressed hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaflets 3, ovate or ovate-triangular, 0·9–8·5 cm. long, 0·5–7·5 cm. wide, occasionally slightly 3-lobed, rounded to long-acuminate and mucronulate at the apex, rounded or truncate at the base, sparsely to densely adpressed pilose on both surfaces; nerves pinnate; petiole 1·5–7 cm. long; rhachis 0·5–1·5 cm. long; petiolules 1–2 mm. long; stipules ovate-oblong, 4–5(–10) mm. long, 2–3·5 mm. wide, ribbed, mostly obtuse but in some large-flowered forms the stipules are longer and more acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers 1–10 in short axillary racemes; peduncles 0·5–18 cm. long; pedicels 0·3–1·8 cm. long; bracts 1·5–2·5 mm. long, ribbed; bracteoles oblong to linear-oblong, 2·5–7 mm. long, 0·6–0·8 mm. wide, 3–7-nerved, glabrous to densely pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx glabrous to densely silky pubescent or pilose; tube 3–4 mm. long; lobes deltoid or narrowly triangular, 1·5–6 mm. long, the upper pair united into a single entire or minutely bifid lobe.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard variously pink, magenta or bluish-purple, sometimes greenish outside, oblate, 1–1·6 cm. long, 1·1–2 cm. wide, the internal appendages well marked; wings similarly coloured to the standard but keel often paler save at the apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods oblong, somewhat curved, (2·8–)4–9·5 cm. wide, glabrous to densely silky pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds dark reddish-brown or flesh-coloured, mottled black, usually ellipsoid or oblong-reniform, compressed, longest dimension 4·2–7 mm., shorter dimension 2·5–5 mm., 1·5–2·2 mm. thick.
Distribution
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 T2 T3 T4 T7 U1 U2 U3 Cameroun east to Ethiopia and south to Natal
[FTEA]

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

Morphology General Habit
Climbing or prostrate herb, 0.6–2.1 m long, arising from a perennial tuberous rootstock.
Morphology Stem
Stems annual, slender, moderately to densely appressed or spreading pubescent.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves pinnately 3-foliolate; leaflets 0.9–7.2 × 0.5–4.6 cm, ovate to slightly rhombic, sometimes slightly lobed, rounded to truncate at the base, rounded or acuminate at the apex, sparsely to densely pilose on both surfaces, 3-veined from the base; petiole 1.5–5.8 cm; rhachis 5–12 mm long; petiolules 1–2 mm long; stipules 4–6 mm long, striate, ovate; stipels 3–5 mm long, lanceolate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence axillary, subcapitate or a short raceme; peduncle 0.5–9.8 cm long; rhachis 5–15 mm long; pedicels 3–11 mm long; bracts 1–2 mm long, striate; bracteoles 2–7 mm long, striate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx pilose (in the Flora Zambesiaca area); tube 3–4 mm long; lobes 1–6 mm long, triangular, upper pair fused along most or all of their length.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard pink or magenta fading bluish-purple, 10–18 × 10–13 mm, oblate; wings purple; keel paler to white.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary 7–10 mm long, linear-oblong, compressed, pubescent; style 5–8 mm long; stigma minute, terminal, capitate, penicillate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods 4.2–7.8 cm × 3–10 mm, glabrous or nearly so when mature, or persistently pubescent or velvety, 5–12-seeded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds pinkish, reddish-brown or mottled black, 4–6 × 2–4 × 1–2 mm, oblong-reniform, compressed.
[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]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Morphology General Habit
Perennial, Climbing/Not climbing, Herb
[ILDIS]

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 2026. 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 2026. 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