Fabaceae
Chamaecrista

Chamaecrista wittei (Ghesq.) Lock

First published in Kew Bull. 43: 338 (1988)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Cameroon to Eritrea and Mozambique. It is an annual and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Leguminosae, R.K. Brummitt, A.C. Chikuni, J.M. Lock and R.M. Polhill. Flora Zambesiaca 3:2. 2007

Morphology General Habit
Annual or short-lived perennial erect herb, often woody at the base, to 1.6 m tall.
Morphology Stem
Stems terete, pubescent with crisped hairs and at least some longer spreading hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves paripinnate, 6–9 × 1.5–2 cm; stipules 9–15 × 2–2.5 mm, narrowly triangular, apex acuminate, base rounded to subcordate, surfaces and margins glabrous; petiolar gland single, 0.5–0.6 mm in diameter, circular, sessile; rachis channelled above, crisped-pubescent on the channel margins and with scattered longer hairs beneath; leaflets in 20–43 pairs, 10.5–13 × 1.8–2.7 mm, narrowly oblong, weakly falcate, asymmetric, base asymmetric, proximal side rounded, distal side rounded to cuneate, apex mucronate, margins shortly ascending-ciliate, surfaces virtually glabrous; midrib slightly excentric; 3–4 lateral nerves from base on proximal side, 2–3 on distal side.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences supra-axillary, 3–4-flowered; pedicels 1.2–1.5 cm long in flower, 1.5–2 cm long in fruit, pubescent with crisped appressed and also with at least some longer spreading hairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals 10–12 × 4–6 mm, ovate or elliptic, acuminate, pubescent with spreading hairs outside.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals yellow, c.15 × 10–12 mm, broadly obovate to elliptic.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium
Stamens 9, four longer than the others; a small staminode sometimes present.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary c.8 mm long, densely appressed-pubescent; style c.4 mm long, proximally appressed pubescent, distally glabrous; stigma oblique.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods 5–7 × 0.5–0.7 cm, sparsely spreading-pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds pale brown, 3.5–3.7 ×1.8–2.1 mm, oblong-elliptic, indistinctly pitted.
[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]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Afromontane grassland, Afromontane(upland) bushland and thicket.
Morphology General Habit
Annual, Not climbing, Herb
[ILDIS]

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

Morphology General Habit
Normally an annual herb with erect or arcuate-spreading stems 0.3–1.5 m. high; rarely the stems may become weakly woody above ground-level and thus perhaps enable the plant to perennate for a short time.
Morphology Stem
Stems varying from being densely clothed with rather long spreading hairs to puberulous with short curved hairs, the longer spreading ones being then absent; indumentum, at least when dry, often yellowish.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves oblong-linear to oblong, 2–9 cm. long, 0.5–3 cm. wide; gland at or near top of petiole, sessile, circular or very broadly elliptic, flattened or somewhat concave on upper side, 0.5–1 mm. long, 0.5–0.75 mm. wide, dark purplish-red, at least when dry; sometimes 2 similar glands together; rhachis eglandular, channelled but not crenate-crested along upper side; leaflets sessile, usually in 13–40 pairs, narrowly oblong to linear-oblong, (4–)6–12(–15, or very rarely to 19) mm. long, (0.75–)1.25–2(–3.5) mm. wide, subacute and mucronate, glabrous except for the minutely ciliolate margins; midrib somewhat excentric (towards anticous margin) but giving off ± prominulous lateral nerves towards both margins.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences axillary or supra-axillary, 1–3(–4)-flowered; pedicels 1–2.2 cm. long, puberulous or with ± dense spreading hairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals yellow, 10–19 mm. long, 6–14 mm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods 5–7.5 cm. long, 5–6 mm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds brown, ± rhombic, ± 3.5–4 mm. long, 2–2.5 mm. wide, not areolate.
Figures
Fig. 10/41, p. 57.
Habitat
Upland grassland and upland evergreen bushland; 1740–2590 m.
Distribution
K T4 T7 T8 U2
[FTEA]

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

    • 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