Clitoria ternatea L. var. angustifolia

Patel, P. K., 2023, Clitoria ternatea L. var. angustifolia Hochst. ex Baker (Fabaceae): new varietal record to Asia from India, Adansonia (3) 45 (14), pp. 267-271 : 268-270

Clitoria ternatea L. var. angustifolia Hochst. ex Baker f.

( Fig. 1 )

Leguminosae of Tropical Africa: 428 ( Baker 1929).

SPECIMENS EXAMINED. — India. Gujarat, Morbi District, near Machchu river, Machchu Dam 3 , 22°51’40N, 70°49’32E, 92 m a.s.l., 21.IV.2018, PKP 0722 (BSI!, Department of Botany Herbarium, SPT Arts & Science College, Godhra, Gujarat) .

Ethiopia. Ad radices montium in valle fluvii Tacaze , 18.VIII.1841, Schimper 1736 (G[ G00015969 image!], P[ P02779519 , P02779523 ]) .

LECTOTYPE. — Ethiopia. Fluvium Tacaze prope Djeladjeranne , Abyssinia, 1.IX.1841, Schimper 1617 (lecto-, designated here, BM[ BM000842757 image]!; isolecto-, P[ P02779513 , P02779514 ], TUB[ TUB001563 ]).

HABITAT. — Grows near wetlands, edges of crop fields.

DISTRIBUTION. — Africa ( Angola, Burundi, Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zaire and Zambia) and Asia ( India) ( Fig. 1 ).

DESCRIPTION A bush-like perennial herb with twining, climbing, or trailing branches up to 5 m long. Stem terete, slender, 1-3 mm thick, weakly striate, much branched near the woody base, infrequently branched above, pubescence strigose.Leaves 5 (7) foliate, rarely with 3 foliate leaf, green to silvery green, polymorphic in shape. Leaflets elongate, narrow, typically 4-15 (25) mm wide, linear, lanceolate, oblong, occasionally narrowly elliptic (leaflet size minute), apex obtuse, base rotund, pubescence on upper surface uncinate, dense to scattered, becoming glabrate, macroscopic trichomes lacking. Petioles 1-4 cm, shorter than the rachis, weakly striate, strigose-pubescent, rachis 2-7 cm, pubescence and striations similar to petiole, internode segments 1-2.5 cm long. Petiolules 1-3 mm long, uncinate-pubescent, densely strigose. Stipules persistent, linear, 4-10 mm long, 0.5-1 mm wide, pubescence uncinate and sparsely strigose. Stipels persistent, 1-3 mm long, acicular, reduced to a nerve, inconspicuous, uncinate-pubescent with sparse appressed trichomes. Inflorescence axillary, solitary, reduced to a short peduncle bearing one flower at its apex; peduncle 0.3-1.5 cm long, sparsely strigose. Pedicel 3-6 mm long, usually borne laterally from peduncle apex, straight or often bending at swollen base to form an obtuse to right angle with peduncle, uncinate-pubescent. Bracts 2, apparently the outer pair, ovate to lanceolate, acuminate to acute, spreading-ascending or weakly concave and appressed to pedicel when pedicel is terminally located, 2-4 (5) mm long, 1 mm wide, pubescence uncinate and more or less strigose. Bracteoles highly variable, broadly ovate to nearly orbicular, 4-11 mm diameter. Flowers small, (2.5) 3-4 cm, typically white, usually papilionaceous. Calyx subpellucid, more or less 10 nerved with a nerve extending to the apex of each lobe, tube 9-14 mm long, 4-5 mm wide near base expanding to 7-9 mm wide at the throat, lobes oblong. Vexillum pubescence uncinate and strigose dorsally, greenish-white medially and white peripherally, 1.5-3.5 cm wide, blade white. Stamens diadelphous, vexillary stamen nearly free, tube nearly straight, 14-18 mm long, incurved slightly last 2-4 mm, filaments free 3-4 mm; anthers lanceolate, 1-1.5 mm long, 0.6-0.9 mm wide. Gynophore 1-2 mm; ovary 5-8 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide; pubescence appressed, dense, white; style 12-14 mm long, base pubescent like that of ovary; stigma capitate, c. 0.7-0.8 mm in diameter. Legume subsessile, yellowish green to green becoming light brownish to tan, flat, valves linear-oblong to oblanceolate, nearly straight to weakly curved towards apex, margins sometimes wavy, infrequently minutely serrulate, pubescence short, strigose to spreading, and uncinate, typically (5) 6-10 cm long, 8-11 mm wide; stipe enclosed along with legume base within persistent calyx, 1-2 mm; beak 2-6 mm; dehiscence causing valves to twist 1-2 turns. Seeds yellowish brown turning black, smooth, subreniform, compressed, 1.5-2 mm thick, 4-5 mm long, 5-6 mm wide, 6-8 seeds per pod; hilum broad elliptic, 1 × 0.8 mm.

NOTES Baker (1929) published Hochstetter’s varietal name, Clitoria ternatea var. angustifolia , and synonymized Vatke’s (1878) name Clitoria zanzibarensis . This variety is characterized by its round bracteoles, small flowers and narrower leaflets. Later botanists included De Wild’s (1925) name Clitoria mearnsii and Micheli’s (1897) name Clitoria tanganicensis as synonyms under the name Clitoria ternatea var. angustifolia . According to Wilczek (1954), this variety is distinguished by its narrow leaflets, rounded leaflet base, smaller white flowers, and smaller bracteoles. Several characteristics are present in these varieties. Leaflet length/width ratio, leaflet pubescence with uncinate hairs on the leaflet surface, leaflet width, flower length, and flower color are all included. Most specimens can be identified by their particular combination of characteristics. There are, however, a number of specimens with intermediate characteristics or with characteristics that are difficult to interpret.

According to De Wild. (1925), Clitoria mearnsii is collected from Tanzania and deposited in BR herbarium (BR0000006252830). As per Micheli’s (1897) Clitoria tanganicensis type material was gathered in Burundi and put away at BR (BR0000008932587). Clitoria ternatea var. angustifolia ( Schimper 1736) verified syntype material was collected in Abyssinia ( Ethiopia), and it was deposited at herbaria BM (BM000842761), G (G00015967), and K (K000418286).

KEY TO THE INDIAN CLITORIA TERNATEA L . VARIETIES (ADAPTED FROM FANTZ 1977)

1. Flowers double, actinomorphic; stamens all free ............................................................... var. pleniflora Fantz

— Flowers papilionaceous; stamens diadelphous .............................................................................................. 2

2. Leaflets narrow and elongated; leaflet shape linear, lanceolate, oblong, lanceolate-oblong, or narrow elliptic (leaflet minute size); leaflet pubescence on upper surface moderately dense to scattered, uncinate, macroscopic trichomes absent; flowers small, typically white .......................................................... var. angustifolia Baker f.

— Leaflets broad, leaflet shape ovate, ovate-elliptic, obovate, or sometimes oblong-ovate to oblong-elliptic; leaflet pubescence on upper surface moderate to sparse of very short appressed hairs becoming glabrate, uncinate trichomes lacking or sparse ............................................................................................................................. 3

3. Flowers large, typically pale blue to purple .............................................................................. var. ternatea L.

— Flowers large, typically white ............................................................................. var. pilosula (Benth.) Baker f.

Figures

FIG. 1. — Clitoria ternatea L. var.angustifolia Hochst.ex Baker f. from Machchu Dam 3 (India):A, habit (A’, habit with flower);B, leaf with flower;C, leaf;D, E, flower; F, legume; G, seeds. Photos: P. K. Patel.