Entada leptostachya Harms, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 53: 456. 1915.

O'Donnell, Shawn A., Ringelberg, Jens J. & Lewis, Gwilym P., 2022, Re-circumscription of the mimosoid genus Entada including new combinations for all species of the phylogenetically nested Elephantorrhiza (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae, mimosoid clade), PhytoKeys 205, pp. 99-145 : 99

Entada leptostachya Harms, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 53: 456. 1915.

Type.

KENYA. Machakos District, Kibwezi, G. Scheffler 120 (lectotype: P [P00418289], designated by J.-F. Villiers in Leguminosae of Madagascar, 2002: 165; isolectotype: K [K000232161]; original syntype: B†) .

Description.

Liana, shrub or small tree, 3-6 m, stems twining, with elevated nectaries at nodes (Fig. 4A ). Leaves: rachis (4.5-)5.6-15.1(-16) cm long, tendrils absent, but plant climbing using modified, hooked pinnae on long shoots; pinnae 2-4(-5) pairs per leaf, (4-)5.6-6.8(-13) cm long, with 7-11(-14) pairs of leaflets; leaflets 9-25(-35) × 3-9(-15) mm, oblong to oblanceolate-oblong, apex rounded to emarginate, base asymmetric, lamina usually puberulous above and below though sometimes sub-glabrous to glabrous. Inflorescence: an axillary spike, 3-8(-16) cm long, 1-3 per axil together on short shoots, rachis glabrous. Flowers: yellow, sweetly scented; calyx obconical, 0.5-1 mm long, shallowly toothed, glabrous; petals 2-2.5 × 0.8 mm; stamen filaments 2.5-4 mm long. Fruit: a torulose, laterally compressed craspedium, 17-23 × 4.3-8.4 cm, with transverse septa between seeds dividing the fruit into one-seeded segments which, upon ripening, fall from the persistent replum. Seeds: elliptic, 10.4-14 × 9-10.6 × 3.5-3.7 mm, pleurogram oval, open.

Distribution.

Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar.

Habitat and ecology.

Dry scrub, degraded woodland with scattered trees, dense Commiphora Jacq. Woodland; growing as small trees when on steep limestone slopes.

Figures

Figure 4. Putative extrafloral nectaries on herbarium specimens of five of the six native Madagascan species of Entada A E. leptostachya, Du Puy et al. M 235 B E. louvelii, Reserves Naturelles RN 1447 C E. pervillei, Service Forestier 10525 _ SF D E. pervillei, Service Forestier 11481 _ SF E E. rheedei, Gautier LG 3153 F E. tuberosa, Jongkind et al. 3264. Scale bars: 2 mm (A-F). Photos: S O'Donnell.