Entada dolichorrhachis Brenan, Kew Bull. 20: 374. 1966. (publ. Jan. 1967).

O'Donnell, Shawn A., Ringelberg, Jens J. & Lewis, Gwilym P., 2022, Re-circumscription of the mimosoid genus Entada including new combinations for all species of the phylogenetically nested Elephantorrhiza (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae, mimosoid clade), PhytoKeys 205, pp. 99-145 : 99

Entada dolichorrhachis Brenan, Kew Bull. 20: 374. 1966. (publ. Jan. 1967).

Type.

ZAMBIA. Mbala (Abercorn) District , Lufubu River , Iyendwe Valley, on path to Shulu Kwesa Village, H.M. Richards 11952 (holotype: K; isotypes: BR [BR0000006251536], LISC [LISC001666], NY [NY00002026], SRGH) .

Description.

Geoxylic suffrutex with erect annual stems, 1-10 cm tall, young shoots pubescent (Figs 2D , 11A ). Leaves: elongate and trailing on the ground; rachis (15-)42-65(-90) cm long, expanding from the apex during the growing season, tendrils lacking; pinnae 19-35 pairs on mature leaves, 2.7-5 cm long, with 6-9(-16) pairs of leaflets; leaflets (5-)8-17(-20) × 2.5-9.3 mm, ovate-oblong, asymmetric, apex rounded and mucronate, base oblique, lamina glabrous above, pubescent below (Fig. 11D ). Inflorescence: an axillary spiciform raceme, 3.4-10 cm long, 1-2 per axil, rachis densely pubescent (Fig. 11B ). Flowers: greenish-yellow, pedicels 1.5-2.5 mm long; calyx 1.5-2 mm long, deeply toothed, pubescent; petals pale dull yellow, 4.75-5.75 mm long; stamen filaments 7-10 mm long (Fig. 11C ). Fruit: a torulose, straight craspedium, 3-6.5 × 1.5-1.8 cm, with transverse septa between seeds dividing the fruit into one-seeded segments which, upon ripening, fall from the persistent replum; segments umbonate over seeds (Fig. 11D ). Seeds: ovate, laterally compressed, 9 × 8 mm, with open pleurogram.

Distribution.

Zambia.

Habitat and ecology.

Woodland and open riverbanks, on sandy soil; 780-1620 m alt.

Figures

Figure 2. Genus-wide variation in morphological characters. A-D habit A large woody liana, E. rheedei (photo: B Wursten, Hyde et al. (2021)) B small tree, E. abyssinica (photo: G Baumann, Dressler et al. (2014 a)) C shrub, E. burkei (photo: M Schmidt, Dressler et al. (2014 a, b )) D geoxylic suffrutex, E. dolichorrhachis (photo: M Bingham, Bingham et al. (2021)) E, F leaves E bipinnate leaf with few pinnae, few large leaflets and ending in a bifurcating tendril, E. rheedei (photo: AP Balan, Balan and Predeep (2021)) F bipinnate leaf with many pinnae, many small leaflets and no tendril, E. rangei (photo: A Dreyer, Dressler et al. (2014 a)) G-I inflorescences G terminal panicle of up-turned spikes, E. polyphylla (photo: R Vasquez Martinez, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0, MBG (2021)) H axillary fascicles of spiciform racemes, E. goetzei (photo: G Baumann, Dressler et al. (2014 a)) I short spiciform raceme of dark red flowers, E. wahlbergii (photo: R Mangelsdorff, Dressler et al. (2014 a)) J-M fruits J immature, weakly falcate, segmented craspedium up to 2 m long, E. rheedei (photo: photographer unknown, Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), 2000) K immature, segmented, laxly spiralled craspedium up to 120 cm long, E. gigas (photo: R Aguilar CC BY-NC-SA 2.0, Aguilar (2021)) L ripe segmented craspedia breaking up into one-seeded segments with exfoliating epicarp, E. africana (photo: B Eichhorn, Dressler et al. (2014 a)) M ripe unsegmented craspedium, the entire valve breaking away from the persistent replum, E. burkei (photo: M Kriek CC BY-SA 4.0, Ueda (2021) observation 85675968) N, O seeds N one-seeded endocarp segment and small ovoid, flattened seed with elliptic pleurogram, E. africana (photo: B Eichhorn, Dressler et al. (2014 a)) O ripe one-seeded fruit segments with large circular, laterally compressed seeds lacking a pleurogram, E. gigas (photo: J Stevens, Dressler et al. (2014 a)). Scale bars: 1 cm (N, O).

Figure 11. Entada dolichorrhachis habit, reproductive and vegetative structures. A uprooted geoxylic suffrutex, Zambia (photo: M Bingham, Bingham et al. (2021)) B spiciform racemes in axils of short, erect shoot with two young leaves expanding towards base of image, Zambia (photo: M Bingham, Bingham et al. (2021)) C open and unopened flowers, Zambia (photo: M Bingham, Bingham et al. (2021)) D mature fruits and trailing, scandent leaves with elongate rachises, Zambia (M Bingham, Bingham et al. (2021)).