e-Key v3 - Xeroderris
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Interactive keys to the identification of seed plants of southern Africa using keys based on plant morphology.

Fabaceae - Papilionoideae - Tephrosieae - Xeroderris Roberty

Description :

  • Deciduous trees; slash producing blood-red resinous exudate
  • Leaves imparipinnate; stipules present, caducous; stipels almost always 0
  • Flowers white, in lateral, spreading panicles, a number together from young shoots which grow out into leafy branches; bracts and bracteoles small, caducous
  • Calyx campanulate, shortly 5-lobed, the upper 2 obscure
  • Petals : vexillum shortly clawed, scarcely callused, suborbicular to oblate; wings oblong-obovate; keel with elliptic-falcate blades, lightly coherent along lower side
  • Stamens diadelphous, with vexillary stamens free; anthers dorsifixed
  • Ovary sessile, few-ovuled; style curved, attenuate, with a small, incurved stigma
  • Pod indehiscent, compressed, margined with a wing on each side; valves coherent between seeds
  • Seeds oblong-reniform
  • x = 12 (1 report)

Nomenclature:

  • Xeroderris Roberty
    • Roberty: 353 (1954)
    • Mendonça & Sousa: 273 (1968)
    • Polhill: 91 (1971)
  • Ostryoderris Dunn
    • Dunn: 363 (1911)

Distribution & Notes:

  • Global : Species 1: Xeroderris stuhlmannii (Taub.) Mendonça & E.P.Sousa (= Ostryoderris stuhlmannii Taub.) Harms., in the savanna regions of tropical Africa
  • Southern Africa : Northern Province

References:

  • DUNN, S.T. 1911. Ostryocarpus and a new allied genus Ostryoderris . Kew Bulletin 1911
  • MENDONÇA, F. de A. & SOUSA, E.P. 1968. New and little known species from the Flora Zambesiaca area-XXI. Boletim da Sociedade Broteriana sér. 2, 42
  • POLHILL, R.M. 1971. Flora of tropical East Africa . Leguminosae (part 3). Papilionoideae
  • ROBERTY, G.E. 1954. Bulletin de l'Institut Française Afrique Noire sér. A, 16