Chamaecrista stricta, E. Mey., Comm. Pl. Afr. Austr.

Musandiwa, Liada, Magee, Anthony R. & Boatwright, James S., 2022, A Taxonomic Revision of Chamaecrista (Caesalpinioideae, Cassieae, Cassiinae) in Southern Africa, Systematic Botany (Basel, Switzerland) 47 (4), pp. 992-1011 : 1009-1010

11. CHAMAECRISTA STRICTA E.Mey. , Comm. Pl. Afr. Austr. 1: 159 (1836);

Brummitt in Fl. Zambesiaca 3(2): 138 (2007).

TYPE: SOUTH AFRICA. Eastern Cape, Butterworth (3228), Bashee River [ Mbashe River ], (– BD), 07 January 1829, Drege s.n. (lectotype: K [ K-000417579 ]–image!, designated here, isolectotypes: HBG –image! [ HBG520216 ], TUB –image! [ TUB000962 ], MO –image! [ MO-1515528 ]). [

Note: The original Drege collection cited by Meyer could not be located as most of his collections were housed at B and largely destroyed, we therefore select the collection at K as lectotype as it bears the original locality description].

Cassia quarrei (Ghesq.) Steyaert., Steyaert in Bull. Jard. Bot. Brux. 20: 264 (1950); Brenan in F.T.E.A Legum. -Caesalp.: 95 (1967); Gordon-Gray in F.S. A. 16(2): 102 (1977).

TYPE: ZAIRE [ DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO]. Katanga, Etoile , November 1932, Quarre 380 (lectotype: BR [ BR–0000008917386 ]– image!, designated by Steyaert (1950)).

Annual herbs to 0.8 m high. Stems erect, simple or sub-simple stems, finely pubescent, with small curved hairs. Leaves paripinnate, 20–100 × 10–22 mm, linear oblong, tapering distally; stipules 4–9 .. 1.2–2.0 mm, base oblique, apex acuminate; extrafloral nectaries at the top of the petiole, 0.7–1.1 mm in diameter, sessile, broadly elliptic, dark centre; rachis channelled, channel margin ciliate. Leaflets 13–37- jugate, 3–9 × 1–2 mm, linear oblong, base oblique, apex acuminate to apiculate, margin entire or ciliate. Inflorescence supra-axillary, (1)2–3 flowered; flowers 4–6 × 4–6 mm; bracts up to 3 mm long, base oblique, apex acuminate; bracteoles 2, glabrous, towards top of pedicels. Pedicels with curled hairs and long patent hairs at flowering 6–10 mm long, at fruiting 10–14 mm long. Sepals 5, narrowly ovate, 4–7 × 1.0– 1.5 mm, with small appressed hairs. Petals 5, obovate, 5.0– 7.5 mm long, pale yellow. Stamens 8–9, straight or slightly curved, anthers in two series, (4)5 small 2–3 mm long, 4 large 4–5 mm long, filaments very short, ± 1 mm long. Ovary up to 4–6 mm long, densely pubescent with greyish hairs, style curved glabrous, ± 2 mm long. Pods 30–60 × 3–5 mm, flattened, slightly curved, with short white to greyish hairs. Seeds 2–4 × 1–3, rhomboid, light brown with black dots at the top.

Diagnostic Characters — Chamaecrista stricta is distinguished by the channelled leaf rachis, the small extrafloral nectaries at the top of the petiole, 0.7–1.1 mm in diameter, sessile, broadly elliptic with a dark centre. Chamaecrista stricta shares the small pale flowers with C. grandiglandulata but is distinguished from that species by the channelled leaf rachis (crested in C. grandiglandulata ), small, sessile extrafloral nectaries as opposed to large extrafloral nectaries that overlap the sides of the petioles, and 8–9 stamens (10 stamens in C. grandiglandulata ) ( Fig. 1F ).

Distribution and Ecology —Widely distributed in Limpopo and across the drier regions of the country in North West and Mpumalanga Provinces extending to Port St. Johns in the Eastern Cape ( Fig. 16 ). Grows in grasslands, on rocky areas at elevations above 1000 m. Flowering from January–May.

Additional Specimens Examined — Zimbabwe. —1731 (Harare): (–AB), 26 Feb1954, Savory 14 ( NU). 1829 (Kwekwe): Sable Park, 8 km from NE of Que-Que (–DD), 5 Apr 1977, Chipunga 132 ( NU) .

South Africa. — LIMPOPO: 2230 (Messina): 20 km NE of Louis Trichardt on Witvlag road (–AC), 03 Apr 1971, Stephen 1571 ( PRE) . 2328 (Baltimore): Lapalala Wilderness, Welgelegen Farm (–CD), 1 Feb 2004, Mathogoane 410 ( PRE) . 2329 (Pietersburg) [Polokwane]: Pietersburg Nature Reserve (–CD), 7 Feb 1980, Bredenkamp 388 ( PRE) . 2330 (Tzaneen): Provisional road bridge across Ramadiepa River (–CA), 25 Jan 1958, Scheepers 54 ( PRE) ; Magoebaskloof, turn off to Pietersburg [Polokwane] (–CC), 01 Apr 1964, Grobbelaar 88 ( PRE) . 2428 (Nylstroom): Sterkrivier Nature Reserve (–BC), 11 Jan 1973, Jacobsen 2617 ( PRE) . 2429 (Zebediela): (Potgietersrust) [Mokopane] (–AA), 18 May 1953, Maguire 2526 ( NBG) . — NORTH WEST: 2527 (Rustenburg): Impala Bafokeng Mine, Norite koppie (–CB), 07 Apr 2009, Kurzweg K948 ( PRE) ; Zwartruggens (–DA), 24 May 1934, Sutton 846 ( PRE) ; Scheerpoort (–DD), 20 Apr 1906, Leendertz 750 ( PRE) . 2627 (Potchefstroom): Potchefstroom (–DC), May/ Jun 1927, Lawrance 07 ( PRE) . — GAUTENG: 2528 (Pretoria): Kwa-Ndebele, Farm Boekenhoutfontein (–BB), 17 Mar 1981, Du Toit 228 ( PRE) ; Van Riebeeck Nature Reserve (–BC), 18 Jan 1967, Kok 138 ( PRE) ; University of Pretoria (–CC), Oct 1972, Grobbelaar 122 ( PRE) . — MPUMALANGA: 2430 (Pilgrims Rest): Hoedspruit, Chester Farm (–BD), 02 Feb 1996, Burgoyne 4045 ( PRE) ; 1 km from Blydepoort Ruskamp (–DB), 09 Feb 1975, De Feijter 93 ( PRE) . 2530 (Lydenburg): Marambane River, 7 km from Lydenburg on road to Burgersfort (–AB), 05 Mar 1986, Germishuizen 3791 ( PRE) . 2531 (Komatipoort): 8 km from Barberton on road to Havelock (–CC), Retief 2145 ( PRE) ; between Barberton and Havelock, ca. 11 km from Barberton (–CC), 22 Feb 1977, Balsinhas 3115 ( PRE) . 2630 (Carolina): 3 km from Amsterdam on road to Lothair (–DA), 07 Mar 1986, Germishuizen 3910 ( PRE) . — KWAZULU-NATAl: 2730 (Vryheid): Mooihoek, Piet Retief (–BA), 18 Apr 1980, Devenish 1831 ( PRE) ; 39 km S of Utrecht along road to Blood River Monument (–CD), 22 Feb 1974, Davidse 6826 ( PRE) ; Bloedrivier Station (–DC), 25 Feb 2005, Bester 5710 ( PRE) . 2732 (Ubombo): Lebombo Mountains, roadside near Jozini Hotel (–AC), 12 Feb 1976, Brenan 14186 ( PRE) . 3030 (Port Shepstone): The Valley (–AA), 3 May 1950, Barker 6140 ( NBG) . — EASTERN CAPE: 3128 (Umtata): Nqeleni roadside (–DB), 24 Mar 1973, Strey 11170 ( NU, NH) . 3129 (Port St. Johns): Mkambati Nature Reserve (–BD), 15 Jan 1997, Makwarela 209 ( PRE) .

Swaziland ( Eswatini). —2631 (Mbabane): north bank of Komati River, E of Mhlatane River (–AB), 5 Mar 1993, Germishuizen 6112 ( PRE) ; Zwischen Piggs Peak, Mbabane (–BA), 07 Feb 1995, Werdermann & Oberdieck 2205 ( PRE) .

Figures

FIG. 1. General morphology of Chamaecrista. A. Habit of C. mimosoides showing a low-growing growth form. B. Habit of C. capensis var. flaoescens showing a large flower. C. Habit of C. grandiglandulata branching in the upper half, showing short pedicels and small pale flowers. D. Habit of C. comosa subsp. comosa showing broad leaflets, 2–5 mm wide. E. Habit of C. biensis showing a prostrate or decumbent growth form and small flowers. F. Habit of C. stricta, growth form and small flowers. G. Habit of C. plumosa var. erecta. Photographs A–D, G taken by Liada Musandiwa, E–F taken by Anthony Magee.

FIG. 16. Known distribution of Chamaecrista stricta in southern Africa.