Family:
Fabaceae Lindl.
Genus:
Indigofera L.

Indigofera brachynema J.B.Gillett

This species is accepted, and its native range is Ethiopia to S. Tropical Africa.

[FTEA]

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

Morphology General Habit
Erect annual herb up to 35 cm. tall, everywhere covered with a sparse or dense indumentum of white, more or less appressed biramous hairs; rather short erect multicellular gland-tipped hairs nearly always also occur, which are up to 0.6 or rarely 1 mm. long on the stems and leaf-rhachis, up to 0.3 or rarely 1 mm. on the pod; such hairs are never found on the leaflets.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 7–11 (rarely –15)-foliolate; stipules linear-filiform, erect or spreading, up to 4 mm. long; rhachis prolonged beyond the lateral leaflets, up to 4 cm. long, including a petiole longer than the basal leaflets; leaflets up to 15 mm. long and 3 mm. wide, 2.6 to 6 times as long as wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes 6–20-flowered, about as long as the subtending leaf, the peduncle, at least in the fruiting state, shorter than the rest of the axis.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx deeply divided, 0.6–1 times as long as the 2.3–3 mm. long filaments.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style 0.7–1 mm. long, bent up through 50–90° near the base.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod straight, spreading, 10–18 mm. long, ± 1.6 mm. wide, 9–13-seeded; endocarp spotted.
Habitat
Dry grassland, Acacia, Commiphora bushland, margins of cultivation; 0–1250 m.; rainfall 400–900 mm.
Distribution
K1 K4 K7 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7

[ILDIS]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Somalia-Masai bushland and thicket, Zambezian anthropic landscapes., Zambezian bushland and thicket, Somalia-Masai grasslands, Somalia-Masai anthropic landscapes, Zambezian grassland
Morphology General Habit
Annual, Not climbing, Herb

[FSOM]

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

Morphology General Habit
Erect annual, up to 35 cm tall, ± appressed white-pubescent throughout, stem, leaf-rhachis and pod also with short erect multicellular glandular hairs
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-rhachis up to 4 cm long including a petiole longer than the basal leaflets
Morphology Leaves Leaflets
Leaflets 7–11, narrowly elliptic, up to 15 x 3 mm, margins not glandular
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes 6–20-flowered, about as long as subtending leaf
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx c. 2 mm long, deeply divided
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard pubescent outside
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 2.3–3 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style 0.7–1 mm long, bent abruptly up near the base
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod 10–18 x 1.6 mm, spreading, straight, shortly glandular pubescent, 9–13-seeded.
Distribution
S2, 3 Ethiopia, Kenya and south to Zimbabwe and Angola.
Ecology
Altitude range 5–30 m.

Native to:

Angola, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Somalia, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Indigofera brachynema J.B.Gillett appears in other Kew resources:

First published in Kew Bull. 24: 487 (1970)

Accepted by

  • Figueiredo, E. & Smith, G.F. (2008). Plants of Angola Strelitzia 22: 1-279. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
  • Lock, J.M. (1989). Legumes of Africa a check-list: 1-619. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Schrire, B.D. (2012). Flora Zambesiaca 3(4): 1-245. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Thulin, M. (ed.) (1993). Flora of Somalia 1: 1-493. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Literature

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • Figueiredo, E. & Smith, G.F. (2008). Plants of Angola Strelitzia 22: 1-279. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
  • Schrire, B.D. (2012). Flora Zambesiaca 3(4): 1-245. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Flora of Somalia

  • Flora Somalia, Vol 1, (1993) Author: by M. Thulin [updated by M. Thulin 2008]

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • Gillett in Kew Bulletin 24: 487 (1970).

International Legume Database and Information Service

  • Gillett, J. B. et al. (1971). Papilionoideae. In: Fl. Trop. E. Africa, Milne-Redhead & Polhill

  • Flora of Somalia

    Flora of Somalia
    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

  • 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 2022. 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 2022. 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