Entry From
Flora of Tropical East Africa, page 1, (1971) Author: J. B. GILLETT, R. M. POLHILL & B. VERDCOURT
Names
KOTSCHYA capitulifera (Bak.) Dewit & Duvign. [family LEGUMINOSAE-PAPILIONOIDEAE], in B.S.B.B. 86: 212 (1954) & in F.C.B. 5: 334 (1954); Torre in C.F.A. 3: 205 (1966); Verdc. in K.B. 24: 53 (1970). Types: Tanganyika, Tabora District, Mininga, Grant (K, syn.!) & Angola, Huila, Humpata and Empalanca, Welwitsch 2139 (LISU, syn., BM, K, isosyn.!) & Pungo Andongo, Serra de Pedras de Guinga, Welwitsch 2138 (LISU, syn., BM, K, isosyn.!)
Information
Annual ascending or erect unbranched to much branched aromatic herb, 5–45 cm. tall, ± decumbent at the base. Stems glabrous or covered with both bristly and short curved hairs. Leaves 6–20-foliolate; leaflets oblong, elliptic, obliquely obovate-oblong or oblong-lanceolate, 2–6 mm. long, 0.5–1.5 mm. wide, acute, terminated by a bristle, practically glabrous or with a few long bristly hairs on the nerves and margins; petiole 2–6 mm. long; rhachis 0.4–1.9 cm. long; stipules lanceolate, 3–4 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, acute or acuminate, scarious, persistent. Inflorescences small terminal dense heads, 0.5–1.8 cm. in diameter; peduncles obsolete; pedicels 2 mm. long; bracts ovate, 2–4 mm. long, 1–2 mm. wide, glabrous or pubescent; bracteoles falcate, elliptic or lanceolate, 2–5 mm. long, 0.5–1 mm. wide, glabrous or serrulate with long cilia. Calyx 2-lipped; lips scarious and ciliate, 2.5–4 mm. long, the upper lip shortly divided into 2 acute or acuminate lobes, the lower shortly divided into 3 obtuse or acute, ovate, elliptic or lanceolate lobes. Standard blue, pink, white or violet, ± obovate, 4–5.5(–11) mm. long, 3.5–4(–6) mm. wide, glabrous; wings and keel similarly coloured. Pods 2.5 mm. long, of 2 articles, each kettledrum-shaped, 1.2 mm. long, 1.2 mm. wide, glabrous. Seeds dark reddish-brown, oblong-reniform, slightly produced at one end of hilum, longest dimension ± 0.8 mm.