Chamaecrista falcinella

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 : 1003

6a. CHAMAECRISTA FALCINELLA var. PARVIFLORA (Steyaert) Lock , Kew. Bull. 43: 336 (1988);

Brummitt in Fl. Zambesiaca 3 (2): 132 (2007). Cassia flacinella var. parviflora Steyaert in Bull. Jard. Bot. Etat 20: 251 (1950); in F.C.B. 3: 521 (1952); Brenan in Kew Bull. 14: 179 (1960); Brenan in F.T.E.A., Legum.-Caesalp.: 91 (1967); Gordon-Gray in F.S.A. 16(2): 101 (1977).

TYPE: RWANDA. Gabiro , Becquet 613 (holotype: BR [ BR0000008955234 ]–image!.).

Annual herbs to 0.6 m high. Stems erect, slightly woody at the base, with long spreading and short curved hairs. Leaves paripinnate, 25–55 × 7–15 mm, oblong, slightly tapering distally; stipules 9–14 mm long, narrowly falcate, base oblique, apex acuminate, margin ciliate; extrafloral nectaries, sessile to sub-sessile, elliptic to circular, 0.5–1.0 × 0.3–0.5 mm; rachis channelled, with long straight or curved hairs. Leaflets 10–19- jugate, 4–15 × 2.5–4.0 mm, slightly curved towards the tip, narrowly oblong to ovate, base asymmetric, apex mucronate, midrib close to the end of one margin, margin pubescent or ciliate. Inflorescence supra-axillary, 1–3 flowered; flowers 5–7 × 4–7 mm long; bract narrowly triangular, base oblique, apex acuminate; bracteoles 2, with long curved hairs, towards top of pedicels. Pedicels with long curved spreading hairs, at flowering 10–25 mm long. Sepals 5, ovate, 5–9 × 1.5–2.0 mm, covered with short hairs. Petals 5, obovate. 4–6 × 2–5 mm. Stamens 10, straight or slightly curved, anthers in two series, 5 small 1.5–2.0 mm long, 5 large 4–5 mm long, filaments very short 1 mm long. Ovary ± 5 mm long, densely covered with white hairs, style ± 1 mm long, glabrous, slightly curved. Pods 20–50 × 4–5 mm, sparsely covered with long soft hairs or glabrescent. Seeds 2–3 × 1–2 mm, rhomboid, flattened, with dark dots at the top.

Diagnostic Characters — Chamaecrista falcinella var. parviflora is distinguished by the elliptic to circular, sessile to sub-sessile extrafloral nectaries. The species resembles Chamaecrista biensis in having small flowers and short pedicels, but can be distinguished by the narrowly falcate stipules (straight in C. biensis ), and 10–19 leaflets (7–36 leaflets in C. biensis ).

Distribution and Ecology — Chamaecrista falcinella var. parviflora is widespread in Namibia from Karakuwisa to Grootfontein extending to Mata Mata in the Northern Cape Province ( Fig. 9 ). Chamaecrista falcinella var. parviflora grows in grasslands in sandy or well-drained soil at elevations below 1000 m. Flowering is from February–April.

Additional Specimens Examined — Namibia. —1819 (Karakuwisa): Cigarrete, NE of Karakuwise (–BA), 8 Feb 1953, Maguire 2437 ( NBG) . 1820 (Tarikora): near pan, Shakambu (–AA), 05 Apr 2006, Horn HOR2/357 ( WIND) ; Ndonga Camp at junction of Omuramba Omatako and Okavango River (–BA), 12 Feb 1956, De Winter & Marais 4619 ( PRE) ; 10 miles (ca. 16 km) north of Tamso on road to Kapupahedi (–DA), 17 Feb 1956, De Winter & Marais 4728 ( PRE) . 1821 (Andara): southern border of Mahango Game Reserve (–BC), 22 Feb 1988, Hines 992 ( WIND) ; 1917 (Atavi): north of Kombat on Farm Gauss (–DA), 02 Mar 1995, Germishuizen 7309 ( PRE) . 1918 (Grootfontein): Grootfontein North (–AA), 04 Mar 1958, Merxmuller 1788 ( PRE) ; 12 miles (ca. 19.3 km) from Otovi Farm (–AA), 2 Apr 1965, Hardy 2116 ( PRE) .

South Africa. — NORTHERN CAPE: (2520): (Mata Mata): Kalahari Park [Kgalagadi Park ] (–DB), Feb 1978, Van der Walt 5775 ( PRE) .

Figures

FIG. 9. Known distribution of Chamaecrista falcinella var. paroiflora in southern Africa.