Kotschya thymodora (Baker f.) Wild

First published in Kirkia 4: 159 (1964)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tanzania to Northern Prov. It is a shrub 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 much-branched shrub 1.8–4.5 m. tall.
Morphology Stem
Stems very sticky and glandular, covered with shorter pubescence and also with longer yellow tubercular-based hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves (16–)22–32(–36)-foliolate; leaflets narrowly oblong-lanceolate or linear-oblong, 2–8 mm. long, 0.8–2.5 mm. wide, acute and oblique or very slightly falcate at the apex, obliquely rounded at the base, with short tuberculate hairs on the slightly serrulate margins and on the almost marginal main nerve beneath; petiole and rhachis together (1–)1.5–4.5 cm. long; petiolules minute; stipules ovate-lanceolate, 3–5 mm. long, 1.5–2 mm. wide, pubescent and ciliate, persistent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences axillary, dense, distinctly strobilate, the flowers mostly held at right-angles to the axis; rhachis 1–3.5 cm. long, densely yellow bristly hairy; peduncle short, 0–4 mm. long; pedicels 4 mm. long; bracts ovate, broadly elliptic or somewhat obovate, sometimes slightly falcate, 3–7 mm. long, 1.5–4.5 mm. wide, conspicuously covered, particularly on or near the margins, with long yellow bristly hairs; bracteoles lanceolate or elliptic, 3–4 mm. long, 1.2–1.5 mm. wide, acute or obtuse, pubescent and margined with bristly hairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx covered with short and rather longer yellow tubercular-based hairs, 5.5–10 mm. long, the upper lip divided for 1.5–2 mm. into 2 very obtuse rounded lobes, the lower lip divided for ± one-third to a half its length into 3 oblong obtuse lobes, the inner usually the narrowest.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard golden-yellow, flushed red, rounded-oblong, 1–1.2(–1.4) cm. long, 6–8(–11) mm. wide, glabrous; wings and keel yellow.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary 2–5-ovuled, pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods of 2–5 articles, each compressed-ellipsoid, 3.3 mm. long, 2.5 mm. wide, pubescent with fine tubercular-based yellow hairs and slightly reticulate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds blackish-red, compressed-ellipsoid, longest dimension 2.8 mm., shorter dimension 2 mm., 1 mm. thick; hilum minute, eccentric.
[FTEA]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Afromontane(upland) bushland and thicket., Zambezian bushland and thicket
Morphology General Habit
Perennial, Not climbing, Shrub
[ILDIS]

Leguminosae, B. Verdcourt. Flora Zambesiaca 3:6. 2000

Morphology General Habit
Erect much branched shrub 1.8–4.5 m tall.
Morphology Stem
Stems very sticky and glandular, covered with shorter pubescence and also with longer yellow tubercular-based hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves (16)22–32(36)-foliolate; leaflets 2–8 × 0.8–2.5 mm, narrowly oblong-lanceolate or linear-oblong, acute and oblique or very slightly falcate at the apex, obliquely rounded at the base, with short tuberculate hairs on the slightly serrulate margins and on the almost marginal main nerve beneath; petiole and rhachis together (10)15–45 mm long; petiolules minute; stipules 3–5 × 1.5–2 mm, ovate-lanceolate, pubescent and ciliate, persistent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences axillary, dense, distinctly strobilate, the flowers mostly held at right-angles to the axis; peduncle short, 0–4 mm long; rhachis 10–35 mm long, densely yellow bristly hairy; pedicels 4 mm long; bracts 3–7 × 1.5–4.5 mm, ovate, broadly elliptic or somewhat obovate, sometimes slightly falcate, conspicuously covered, particularly on or near the margins, with long yellow bristly hairs; bracteoles 3–4 × 1.2–1.5 mm, lanceolate or elliptic, acute or obtuse, pubescent and margined with bristly hairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx covered with short and rather longer yellow tubercular-based hairs, 5.5–10 mm long, the upper lip divided for 1.5–2 mm into 2 very obtuse rounded lobes, the lower lip divided for c. one-third to half its length into 3 oblong obtuse lobes, the inner usually the narrowest.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard golden-yellow, flushed red, 10–12(14) × 6–8(11) mm, rounded oblong, glabrous; wings and keel yellow.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary 2–5-ovuled, pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit of 2–5 articles, each article compressed ellipsoid, 3.3 × 2.5 mm, pubescent with fine tubercular-based yellow hairs and slightly reticulate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds blackish-red, 2.8 × 2 × 1 mm, compressed-ellipsoid; hilum minute, eccentric.
[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 2024. 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 2024. 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