Vatovaea pseudolablab (Harms) J.B.Gillett

First published in Kew Bull. 20: 104 (1966)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is NE. & E. Tropical Africa, S. Arabian Peninsula. It is a climbing perennial and grows primarily in the desert or dry shrubland biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Woody climber, although young plants may flower while still quite herbaceous, from a large tuber; stems glabrous to sparsely pubescent
Morphology Leaves Leaflets
Leaflets ± ovate, up to 6 x 5 cm, sometimes ± 3-lobed, glabrous to sparsely pubescent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences long, many-flowered
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx glabrous; tube 2.5 mm long, lobes 2.5 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard greenish to purplish blue, 1–1.8 cm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods curved, flattened, 45–60 x 5.5–10 mm, widening towards the apex, first silky pubescent, becoming glabrescent.
[FSOM]

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

Morphology General Habit
Woody climber to 1·2–1·5 m. tall from an enormous woody tuber.
Morphology Stem
Stems branched, often pale reddish-brown, sometimes nodulous, glabrous to sparsely pubescent.
Morphology Leaves
Leaflets ovate to narrowly ovate-rhomboid, 1–5·7 cm. long, 0·8–5·3 cm. wide, sometimes ± 3-lobed, the laterals oblique, glabrous or with sparse hairs along the margins or sometimes uniformly sparsely pubescent; petioles 0·6–6 cm. long; rhachis 0·4–2 cm. long; petiolules 1–2 mm. long; stipules oblong, 3·5 mm. long, 1·5 mm. wide, ribbed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences 7–45 cm. long above a peduncle 6–21 cm. long, adpressed puberulous to densely silvery pubescent; nodes sometimes attaining 1 cm., 2–3-many-flowered; pedicels 3 mm. long; bracts very deciduous, ovate, 1·5–2 mm. long, pubescent, ribbed; bracteoles deciduous, squarish, 1·5 mm. long, ribbed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx glabrous or minutely scaly at base; tube 2·5 mm. long; lobes 2·5 mm. long, with ciliolate margins.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard dull purplish or brownish-claret with green base and green veins inside, greenish outside, 1–1·8 cm. long, 1·3–2·1 cm. wide, emarginate; wings magenta-purple, green below; keel greenish flushed purple, or magenta-purple with apex greenish.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods linear-oblong, curved, flattened, 4·5–6 cm. long, 5·5–10 mm. wide, widening towards the apex, at first adpressed silky pubescent, becoming glabrescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds brown, sometimes densely speckled with black, subglobose or irregularly ellipsoid or squarish, sometimes quite compressed, longest dimension 4·5–7 mm., shorter dimension 4·5–6·5 mm., thickness 2·5–3 mm.
Figures
Fig. 93, p. 610.
Habitat
Semi-desert grassland, Acacia bushland, occasionally on seasonally wet clay grassland; 270–1350 m.
Distribution
K1 K2 K4 K6 K7 T2 T3 T5 U1
[FTEA]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Somalia-Masai grasslands, Somalia-Masai bushland and thicket
Morphology General Habit
Perennial, 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: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Morphology General Habit
Perennial, Climbing, Herb
[ILDIS]

Uses

Use
Food and Drink
[ILDIS]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
  • 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
  • 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 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