Description:
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Suberect or scrambling shrub 0.9–2 m. tall; young shoots densely covered with short ferruginous pubescence, later glabrescent; older stems mostly pale chestnut, ridged and lenticellate. Leaf-blades mostly elliptic or oblong to obovate or oblanceolate, 1.3–7.5 cm. long, 0.5–4 cm. wide, obtuse or shortly acuminate at the apex, rounded to cuneate at the base, coriaceous, shiny and glabrous above, usually pale green, with rather sparse adpressed ferruginous hairs beneath, particularly on the midrib; venation conspicuously reticulate and raised on both surfaces, but mostly more prominent above; petiole 1–3 mm. long, ferruginous pubescent. Flowers solitary on reflexed or hooked peduncles; bracts linear-lanceolate, persistent; pedicels 3–5 mm. long, pubescent. Sepals free, ovate, 2.5–3(–6) mm. long, 2–3.5 mm. wide, acuminate, pilose outside, pubescent within. Petals green, unequal, the outer ovate-lanceolate, slightly concave below, the inner ones narrowly elliptic or linear above, broadened and concave below, 0.9–1.1 cm. long, up to 4 mm. wide, silky pubescent save inside the base. Stamens cuneiform, 0.75–1 mm. long; connective-prolongation broadly triangular. Carpels 6–9; ovary narrowly ovoid or flattened, ± 1 mm. long, glabrous; style small, flattened, glabrous. Monocarps scarlet, 1–2, cylindric, 1–1.9 cm. long, 5–7 mm. wide, beaked or rounded, glabrous, finely rugose, sessile. Seeds very pale brown, oblong-ellipsoid to almost cylindrical but flattened on inner face when 2 seeds are present, 9.5–11.5 mm. long, 5 mm. wide and 3.5–5 mm. thick. (Description JSTOR-Kew) |
| Literature:
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Brummitt, R.K., Harder, D.K., Lewis, G.P., Lock, J.M., Polhill, R.M. & Verdcourt, B. (2007). Leguminosae Subfamily Papilionoideae Flora Zambesiaca 3(3) Pages 43 - 44. (Includes a picture).
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