Flowers
in lax axillary racemes, bracteate or rarely ebracteate
Calyx
with tube; lobes subequal, shorter than tube
Petals
: vexillum sessile; wings gibbous, with linear claw; keel clawed, sometimes with 2 segments connate
Stamens
diadelphous; anthers uniform
Ovary
sessile or stalked, many-ovuled; style straight or incurved, with small, terminal stigma
Pod
2-valved, completely or incompletely divided longitudinally into 2 locules by introflexion of carinal suture
Seeds
often reniform, on filiform funicle
x = 8 (10, 11, 13) (B-chromosomes, high polyploidy)
Nomenclature:
Astragalus
L.
Linnaeus: 755 (1753)
Harvey: 224 (1862)
Gillett: 413 (1964)
Gillett: 1054 (1971)
Distribution & Notes:
Global
: Species 2 000, mainly northern hemisphere, abundant in temperate Asia
Southern Africa
: Species 1:
Astragalus atropilosulus
(Hochst.) Burge subsp.
burkeanus
(Harv.) Gillett var.
burkeanus
, the four northern provinces into KwaZulu-Natal
References:
GILLETT, J.B. 1964.
Astragalus
L. (
Leguminosae
) in the highlands of tropical Africa.
Kew Bulletin
17
GILLETT, J.B. 1971.
Flora of tropical East Africa
.
Leguminosae
(part 4).
Papilionoideae
(continued)
HARVEY, W.H. 1862.
Leguminosae
.
Flora capensis
2
LINNAEUS, C. 1753.
Species plantarum
, edn 1. Laurentius Salvius, Stockholm
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