Rhodocolea racemosa (Lam.) H. Perrier in Ann. Mus. Colon. Marseille ser. 5, 6: 24. 1938.

≡ Bignonia racemosa Lam., Encycl. 1: 424. 1785.

≡ Colea racemosa (Lam.) Baill. in Bull. Mens. Soc. Linn. Paris 1: 685. 1889.

Lectotypus (here designated): MADAGASCAR: sine loc., s.d., Commerson s.n. (P-JUSS, cat. n°4988 [P00680416]!; isolecto-: G [G00341646]!, P [P00647477]!). Syntypus: MADAGASCAR: sine loc., s.d., Commerson s.n. (P-JUSS, cat. n°4988 [P00680417]!; isosyn-: P [P00647476, P00647478]!).

– Rhodocolea racemosa f. microphylla H. Perrier in Ann. Mus. Colon. Marseille ser. 5, 6: 27. 1938 [nom. inval.].

Observations. – Rhodocolea racemosa is characterised by fine leafy branches, but bearing leaves with a rather variable number of leaflets from (3-)5-11, the leaflets are small (the terminal usually <6 mm long), ovate to ovate-lanceolate, or elliptic, relatively thin-textured, and generally tapered at both ends. The inflorescences are borne mostly on the young growth, rarely cauliflorous, the axes are fine and not markedly flattened, and the flowers tend to be rather regularly spaced giving a racemose appearance. The corolla is variously described as deep pink, reddish or purple, with various markings in the throat. The species occurs at low to mid elevation on various substrates in the Fort Dauphin area in south-east Madagascar, including in littoral forest on sand.