Bouffordia dichotoma (Willd.) H.Ohashi & K.Ohashi

First published in J. Jap. Bot. 93: 180 (2018)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is S. Oman to China (S. Yunnan) and Malesia. It is a perennial or subshrub and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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]

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

Morphology General Habit
Annual herb, or subshrubby herb to 1 m tall.
Morphology Stem
Stems ridged, uncinulate-pubescent.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 1–3-foliolate; leaflets 1.5–10 × 1.3–7 cm, elliptic, oblong or obovate, obtuse or emarginate at the apex, rounded or truncate at the base, pubescent on both surfaces, the venation raised beneath; petiole 0.5–8 cm long; rhachis 0.25–3.5 cm long; petiolules 2–3 mm long; stipules 5–15 × 3.5–10 mm, ovate-falcate, striate, amplexicaul and subcordate; stipels very distinct, 5–9 × 1–2.5 mm, lanceolate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences axillary and terminal, 4–17 cm long; peduncles 0–30 mm long; pedicels 3–5 mm long; basal bracts of inflorescence resembling the stipules; primary bracts each subtending 1–3 pedicels, 3.5 × 0.8 mm, lanceolate, puberulous and ciliate; secondary bracts similar, 3 × 0.5 mm.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx with long white hairs; tube 0.5 mm long; lobes 2 mm long, narrowly lanceolate, the upper pair joined for over half their length.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard purple or light blue, 3.5 × 2.5 mm, obovate, emarginate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruits 7–18 mm long, of 2–6 articles; each article 2.5–3 × 2.5–3.3 mm, almost round or rounded-oblong, sparsely pubescent and reticulate, separated by rather wide necks 2 mm wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds yellow or chestnut-brown, 2.5 × 1.8–2.1 × 1–1.2 mm, rounded or oblong-ellipsoid; the hilum small eccentric or central.
[FZ]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Somalia-Masai grasslands
Morphology General Habit
Perennial, Not climbing, Herb
Vernacular
Gander-lapto
[ILDIS]

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

Morphology General Habit
Herbaceous (to suffrutescent) with a procumbent, diffuse and branched, angular, grooved and striate stem 1–10 dm. long, usually tawny to brownish, moderately to densely uncinulate-puberulent and sparsely to moderately pilose with long tapering hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 3-foliolate; stipules obliquely ovate-acuminate, their lobes almost overlapping, often becoming reflexed, 5–10 mm. long, 2–5 mm. wide, strongly striate, puberulent on the outer surface, ciliate, persistent; stipels lanceolate- to ovate-attenuate, 1.5–9 mm. long, 0.5–3 mm. wide, glabrous, ciliate, persistent; petioles angular, ridged and grooved, moderately uncinulate-pubescent and sparsely pilose with long tapering hairs, 1–7 cm. long; rhachis similar or with indumentum more abundant, 0.8–3 cm. long; leaflets ovate to elliptic or less often orbicular, obtuse at base and apex, or base cuneate and apex retuse, ± abundantly appressed-pilose above, velu-tinous beneath with long stout tapering hairs along midrib and chief lateral veins, more delicate hairs of varying lengths abundant over whole surface; terminal leaflet 1.8–8 cm. long, 2–6 cm. wide; lateral leaflets similar, smaller, 1.2–7 cm. long, 1–4.8 cm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences racemose or racemose-paniculate; rhachides densely uncinulate-pubescent with occasional straight tapering hairs intermixed; primary bracts narrowly ovate, rather shortly acuminate, 2.5–4.5 mm. long, 0.5–1.5 mm. wide, moderately uncinulate-puberulent, each subtending a fascicle of 2–3 pedicels; secondary bracts each subtending a single pedicel, ± lanceolate-ovate, similar, 1.5–3 mm. long, 0.5–1 mm. wide; pedicels minutely uncinulate-puberulent, usually more densely so on the upper half, mostly somewhat spreading, 3.5–5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers pink or blue, small.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx uncinulate-puberulent and straight pilose throughout; teeth of both lobes ciliate, upper lobe rather deeply bifid, 2–3.2 mm. long, teeth of lower lobe ± equal, 2–3 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla slightly exceeding calyx; standard obovate, entire or retuse, narrowed to cuneate base, 3.3–3.5 mm. long, 2.5–3 mm. wide; wings ± hatchet-shaped, slightly auricled, shortly clawed, 2.5–3 mm. long, 1–1.3 mm. wide; keel-petals obscurely scythe-shaped, scarcely auricled, shortly clawed, 3–4.3 mm. long, 1 mm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit sessile to shortly stipitate (stipe 0.5–1.5 mm. long), 4–6-articled; articles quadrate at maturity, nearly evenly indented on both sutures at the broad isthmi, 2–3 mm. long, 2.5–3 mm. wide, uncinulate-puberulent and -pubescent throughout.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed oval-reniform, 2 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide.
Figures
Fig. 65/9, p. 453.
Habitat
Grassland; 1700 m.
Distribution
also India to China, Java and the Celebes U1
[FTEA]

Uses

Use
Forage, Medicine, Weed
[ILDIS]

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 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