Fabaceae
Lotus

Lotus becquetii Boutique

First published in Bull. Jard. Bot. État Bruxelles 23: 234 (1953)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is South Sudan to Burundi. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the subtropical biome.

Descriptions

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Afromontane grassland
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
Perennial sparingly pilose or glabrescent herb, with procumbent or ascending stems up to 1·2 mm. in diameter and 70 cm. long, drying a yellowish-green.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves glabrous or with a few spreading hairs on the petiolules and leaflet-margins; rhachis up to 1 cm. long, more than half as long as and sometimes longer than the basal leaflet, which is broadly ovate, up to 10 mm. long by 9 mm. wide, has a basal angle of 100°–180°, and is markedly different from the other leaflets which are cuneate-obovate and up to 15 by 7 mm.; axillary (stipular) glands small, black, conical.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Umbel 3–7-flowered; peduncle up to 7 cm. long, pubescent near the top; bract 1-or, rarely, 3-foliolate, ± oblong, ± acute, up to 8 mm. long; pedicels nearly glabrous, ± 2 mm. long, with dark glands at their base.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx blotched with red, sparingly pilose, especially at the base of the lobes; tube ± 1 mm. long below the insertion of the stamens and 2 mm. above; lobes triangular-oblong, ± 3 mm. long, the 2 upper rather wider than the others.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla white with red markings; standard ± 8·5 by 6 mm.; wings ± 1 mm. longer.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Filaments
Filament-sheath ± 5 mm., free parts 2 and 3 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary ± 4·5 mm. long, ± 28-ovulate; style ± 4 mm. long, slightly curved upwards.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod up to 27 mm. long by 3 mm. wide, ± 16-seeded.
Figures
Fig. 146/13, p. 1046.
Habitat
Upland grassland; 2100–3200 m., rarely down to 1800 m.; rainfall 1000–1300 mm.
Distribution
K2 K3 K5 U1
[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 of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 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