Entada burkei (Benth.) S.A. O'Donnell & G.P. Lewis, 2022

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 burkei (Benth.) S.A. O'Donnell & G.P. Lewis comb. nov.

Type.

SOUTH AFRICA. Transvaal, Magaliesberg, Burke & Zeyher s.n. (holotype: K [K000232271]; presumed isotypes (fide Ross 1975a: p. 144): BM [BM000842178], MO [MO-954355], TCD, Z) .

Basionym.

Elephantorrhiza burkei Benth., London J. Bot. 5: 81. 1846.

Description.

Shrub to small tree (0.3-)1-3(-6) m, with dark grey to reddish bark (Figs 2C , 9A ). Leaves: petiole 2.6-6.5 cm long; rachis 3.6-14.5 cm long; pinnae (1-)4-8(-9) pairs, 3.5-12.5 m long, with (9-)12-23(-32) pairs of leaflets; leaflets 7-17 × 1.5-3.5(-5) mm, oblanceolate to elliptic or linear-oblong, apex obtuse to rounded, base slightly oblique, lamina glabrous. Inflorescence: an axillary spiciform raceme borne on lateral shoots of the current season’s growth, 5-10(-12) cm long, solitary or aggregated in fascicles, rachises glabrous. Flowers: cream, yellow or yellowish-white, pedicels 2 mm long, articulated near the middle, with minute reddish glands at the base of the pedicels; calyx campanulate, 2.5 mm long, distinctly toothed, glabrous; petals 3-4.5 mm long; stamen filaments 5 mm long (Fig. 9B ). Fruit: a laterally compressed, straight to slightly curved craspedium, 10-19(-28) × 2.5-4 cm, transverse veins prominent, lacking transverse septa between seeds, the valves separating from the replum intact upon ripening, the epicarp exfoliating from the endocarp (Figs 2M , 9C, D ). Seeds: irregular in shape, 9-13 × 8-12 × 8 mm.

Distribution.

Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa.

Habitat and ecology.

Woodland, grassland and scrub, usually in rocky settings; 970-1370 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 9. Entada burkei habit and reproductive structures. A branched shrub bearing leaves of the current season's growth alongside inflorescences near shoot tips, South Africa (photo: J Heymans CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, iNaturalist (2021) observation 11078242) B open, pedicellate flowers with minute red glands at base of pedicels, South Africa (photo: J-H Keet CC BY-NC 4.0, Ueda (2021) observation 11099684) C leaves and immature fruits, South Africa (photo: M Schmidt, Dressler et al. (2014 a)) D leaves and mature fruits, South Africa (photo: tjeerd CC BY-NC 4.0, Ueda (2021) observation 38383810).