Stylosanthes fruticosa
(Retz.) Alston
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) tjeerd, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Summary
Source: WikipediaStylosanthes fruticosa (syn. Arachis fruticosa), the African stylo, wild lucerne or shrubby pencil‑flower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is native to Cape Verde, sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, the Arabian Peninsula, India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, and has been introduced to Hawaii. Relished by livestock, it can survive light shade, acid soils and even light frosts. It grows from sea level to 2,000 m (6,600 ft) on as little as 300 mm (12 in) of rain per year.
Description
A woody herb or small shrub. It grows up to 1 m tall. It can be erect or lie along the ground. It has a thick woody rootstock. The leaflets are 1-3.3 cm long by 1-9 mm wide. They can be hairy. The flowers are in a dense group. They are white to orange and with red veins. The pods are 4-9 mm long and have 1 or 2 joints. The seeds are chestnut brown and 3 mm long.
Distribution
It is a tropical plant. It grows up to 1,700 m above sea level.
Where It Grows
Africa, Angola, Asia, Central Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Senegal, Sri Lanka,
Synonyms
References (1)
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
