Fabaceae
Lotus

Lotus subdigitatus Boutique

First published in Bull. Jard. Bot. État Bruxelles 23: 234 (1953)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is DR Congo to Tanzania. It is a 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, the ± erect herbaceous shoots springing up annually after fires from a massive woody rootstock; stems subglabrous, the few hairs appressed.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-rhachis absent or almost so; leaflets about 3 times as long as wide, the 3 terminal oblanceolate, the 2 basal ± oblong, asymmetric at the base, appressed pubescent beneath.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Umbels up to 7-flowered; peduncle up to 7 cm. long, pubescent towards the top, the hairs up to 0·5 mm. long, slightly spreading; bract 1-foliolate; pedicels pubescent,± 2 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx appressed pubescent; tube 3 mm. long overall, 1 mm. below and 2 mm. above the insertion of the stamens; teeth oblong-triangular, up to 3 mm. long (in the Flora area), the 2 upper wider than the others.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla white (or, in the Flora area, yellow) marked with red; standard ± 10 by 7 mm., ± 1 mm. longer than the wings.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Filaments
Filament-sheath ± 5 mm., free parts 2·5 and 4 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary ± 5 mm. long, ± 29-ovulate; style ± 5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit unknown.
Figures
Fig. 146/15, p. 1046.
Habitat
Sandy burnt grassland overlying rock; 1700 m.; rainfall ± 900 mm.
Distribution
T4
[FTEA]

International Legume Database and Information Service

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

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: 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

  • 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