PLANTAE / PHANEROGAMAE / ANTHOPHYTA / FABALES / FABACEAE / PAPILIONOIDEAE / PSORALEEAE / PSORALEA / PSORALEA / RIGIDULA
Multi-stemmed suffrutices up to 0.6 m tall, with pinnate leaves in juvenile phase, aphyllous in adult phase, resprout after fires from a large woody daucate rootstock and form dense clumps. Stems erect, numerous, branching from near woody base, shallowly furrowed; coppice shoots trifoliolate; leaves 10-15 mm long, 4-5 mm wide; lateral leaflets shorter, excentric, curved, covered on both surfaces with numerous small glands drying reddish; leaves falling off as shoots mature, leaving scale-like remnants. Seasonal shoots yellowish-green, emerging from base of plant, striate, finely gland-dotted. Scales 1.5 x 1.0 mm, but longer and more attenuated in seedlings, broadly obliquely ovate, glabrous, margins minutely ciliate, not tightly congested. Inflorescences borne in upper axils of seasonal shoots; flowers opening sequentially; pseudo-spicate; buds glabrous, with lower lobe attenuate and up-curled; pedicel below cupulum 3-4 mm long, 3-4 mm long above cupulum; stiff and erect; cupulum trilobed, glabrous, margins ciliate, lobes broadly triangular, densely gland-dotted and drying orange. Flowers 9-12 mm long, purplish violet and white, bracts reduced to tuft or ring of hairs. Calyx 6.0-6.5 mm long; lobes subequal, lower lobe slightly longer; lateral and vexillar calyx lobes acute, straight, triangular; lower lobe 4-5 x 2-3 mm, acute, broader than the other four lobes; vexillar calyx lobes fused for up to one third of their length above the tube; calyx shorter than corolla; inner face of calyx lobes finely covered in white hairs with no stubby black hairs; ribs distinctly thickened; glands dense, constant in size, more dense on the tube than the lobes. Standard petal 8-11 x 9-10 mm, sub-orbicular, purplish violet fading to mauve at edges with purple veins; nectar guides whitish with a small central dark purple flash; auricles absent; claw 4-6 mm long; apex emarginate. Wing petals 10-13 x 4-5 mm, white, up-curving, fused to, but longer than keel, claw 3-5 mm long. Keel 10-11 x 3-4 mm, claw 4-6 mm long. Androecium 10 mm long, scarcely fenestrate. Pistil 8 mm long, stipitate; ovary 1 mm long, glabrous, sparsely covered in club-shaped glands; style glabrous, curved at 4 mm, thickened at point of flexure. Fruits immature, papery, reticulate. Seeds 3.5 x 1.5 mm, reinform; hilum central. From: Dludlu, MN; Muasya, AM; Chimphango, SBM; Stirton, CH. 2015. Taxonomy of the southern African Psoralea aphylla complex (Psoraleeae, Leguminosae). S. African J. Bot. 97: 77-100. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2014.11.009] [Copyright held by the South African Association of Botanists (2015); http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/02546299] [CC BY]
This distinctive species was previously included within the variation of P. aphylla because of its lack of leaves in its mature shoots. However, it can be distinguished by its glabrous, multi-stemmed, resprouting, suffrutescent habit, with a maximum height of 0.6 m. Its flowers are bright purple to violet, and have a small trifid cupulum, which does not touch or overlap with the calyx tube. On the other hand, P. aphylla is a sericeous, single stemmed, reseeding shrub to tall tree, with a height of 1.5-5.0 m. It has bluish/mauve flowers and a bifid cupulum, with lobes usually overlapping or touching the base of the calyx tube. Specimens of this species collected by Ms Elsie Esterhuysen (28213, 33766) from the NE ridge of Du Toit's Peak above Delabat Ravine were annotated previously in some herbaria under the manuscript name of ‘P. lucida’. These collections, which may well represent a distinct species, are here included within P. rigidula pending further investigation. They have coarser and thicker stems and shoots (much like Indigofera gifbergensis C.H.Stirt.), larger flowers, 15-17 mm long and very short pedicels, 1-2 mm long, cupulum almost at the base of the pedicel, with dense coarsely glandular scales and calyces, and (fide Esterhuysen) blue flowers. From: Dludlu, MN; Muasya, AM; Chimphango, SBM; Stirton, CH. 2015. Taxonomy of the southern African Psoralea aphylla complex (Psoraleeae, Leguminosae). S. African J. Bot. 97: 77-100. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2014.11.009] [Copyright held by the South African Association of Botanists (2015); http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/02546299] [CC BY]
It occurs in seasonal seepages in Hawequas Sandstone Fynbos. From: Dludlu, MN; Muasya, AM; Chimphango, SBM; Stirton, CH. 2015. Taxonomy of the southern African Psoralea aphylla complex (Psoraleeae, Leguminosae). S. African J. Bot. 97: 77-100. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2014.11.009] [Copyright held by the South African Association of Botanists (2015); http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/02546299] [CC BY]
A narrow endemic restricted to the mountains around Bainskloof and Du Toit's Kloof. From: Dludlu, MN; Muasya, AM; Chimphango, SBM; Stirton, CH. 2015. Taxonomy of the southern African Psoralea aphylla complex (Psoraleeae, Leguminosae). S. African J. Bot. 97: 77-100. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2014.11.009] [Copyright held by the South African Association of Botanists (2015); http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/02546299] [CC BY]
November to April
500 to 1500 m
This map contains point-based occurrences at different locations
Occurrence in the Flora of Southern Africa (FSA) countries and South African provinces. Residence status indicates if a taxon is indigenous, endemic, naturalised or invasive in a specific region. This data is based on specimen records and literature
FSA
SA
BOT
NAM
ESW
LES
WC
EC
NC
FS
GA
KZN
LP
MP
NW
Absent
Indigenous
Endemic
Naturalised
Invasive
Names and Sources
Published in: S. African J. Bot. 97: 79 (2015)
Type: South Africa, Western Cape Province, Worcester: Limietkop, 15 Dec 2008, Muasya & Stirton 4333 (BOL, holo.; BM, K, MEL, MO, NU, P, PRE, iso.)
Classification
KINGDOM Plantae
SUBKINGDOM Phanerogamae
PHYLUM Anthophyta
ORDER Fabales
FAMILY Fabaceae
SUBFAMILY Papilionoideae
TRIBE Psoraleeae
GENUS Psoralea
SUBGENUS Psoralea
SPECIES rigidula
12 results for Psoralea rigidula C.H.Stirt.
Barcode: PRE1014504-0 Collector(s) & number: Dludlu, M., 34 | 2008-4-10
South Africa, Western Cape, Bainskloof.
Data Resource: BODATSA View record
Barcode: PRE0824582-0 Collector(s) & number: Stirton, CH, 11225 | 1986-10-22
South Africa, Western Cape, Worcester District: Bains Kloof; upper reaches, steep recently burnt hillside.
General notes: ISOTYPE Det: C H Stirton
Data Resource: BODATSA View record
Barcode: PRE1009965-0 Collector(s) & number: Dludlu, M., 30 | 2008-10-4
South Africa, Western Cape, Bainskloof Mountains.
Data Resource: BODATSA View record
Barcode: NBG0278789-0 Collector(s) & number: Dludlu, M, 30 | 2008-10-4
South Africa, Western Cape, Worcester Dist. Bainskloof Mountains. 33°36'18"S 19°16'00"E.
General notes: Alt. 900 m. Hawequas Sandstone Fynbos. Southern slope, full sun. Resprouting subshrub, colonial.
Data Resource: BODATSA View record
Barcode: PRE0783040-0 Collector(s) & number: Esterhuysen, EE, 35742 | 1982-1-23
South Africa, Western Cape, Paarl. Bains Kloof Mountains. Observation point.
General notes: On the shale band. Low shrubs, branched below, weak stemmed. Petals blue, standard pale, keel with navy. Det: Bolus ex SAAS
Data Resource: BODATSA View record
Barcode: PRE1003328-0 Collector(s) & number: Muasya, AM, 4333 | 2008-12-15
South Africa, Western Cape, Limitkop. Bainskloof Mountains.
General notes: ISOTYPE
Data Resource: BODATSA View record
This map contains point-based occurrences at different locations
2022
PERIODICAL/JOURNAL
Phylogenetic relationships and biogeography of Psoraleeae (Fabaceae) Bello, A; Stirton, CH; Chimphango, SBM; Muasya, AMBotanical Journal of the Linnean Society 200: 39-74
2015
PERIODICAL/JOURNAL
Taxonomy of the southern African Psoralea aphylla complex (Psoraleeae, Leguminosae) Dludlu, MN; Muasya, AM; Chimphango, SBM; Stirton, CHSouth African Journal of Botany 97: 77-100
No results found for Psoralea rigidula C.H.Stirt.
| Part(s) of plant used | Use(s) | Reference |
|---|
Coming soon...
