Xerocladia viridiramis
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Image 1
Habit
26 Feb 2010
Image 2
Stem, leaves and thorns
26 Feb 2010
Image 3
Fruit
26 Feb 2010
Image 4
Habit
21 Feb 2018
Image 5
Leaves
21 Feb 2018
Image 6
Fruit
21 Feb 2018
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Full name: | Xerocladia viridiramis (Burch.) Taub. |
| ID status: | Fairly certain |
| Afrikaans common name(s): | Droëdoring, Kaaldoring, Groendoring |
| English common name(s): | - |
| Synonym(s): | Acacia viridiramis Burch. Xerocladia zeyheri Harv. |
| Status: | Native |
| Description: | Thorny, acacia-like shrublet common in drainage lines between Keetmanshoop and Helmeringshausen. Small rigid much-branched shrub up to 1 m high; branches often somewhat zigzag, pale green to olive, terete, cano-puberulous and substriate. Stipules spinescent, in pairs, recurved, reddish-brown, up to 3.5 mm long. Leaves bipinnate, small: petiole up to 3 mm long, cano-puberulous, with a stalked reddish-brown gland up to 1 mm high just below the point of attachment of the pinnae; rhachillae up to 1.5 cm long, glabrous to cano-puberulous; 1 pinna pair per leaf; leaflets in 6-12 subopposite pairs, up to 3(4) x 1(1.3) mm, oblong or linear-oblong, obtuse or acute apically, sparingly to densely pubescent on the margins only or sometimes on the lower surface also, seldom glabrous throughout, usually with a small reddish-brown gland at the base of each leaflet. Inflorescences capitate, pedunculate, solitary in the axils of the leaves. Flowers hermaphrodite, 5-merous, sessile, in heads up to 7 mm in diameter; peduncles up to 8 mm long, cano-puberulous. Calyx divided almost to the base, segments 1-2 mm long, up to 1.2 mm wide, densely villous externally. Petals free except basally, up to 2.5(3) mm long, ... (from JSTOR Global Plants website / Flora of Southern Africa) Shrub to 1m tall, twigs zig-zag shaped, pale green to olive, terete, internodes 10-14 mm. Leaves alternate, bipinnately compound, with a pair of spiny incurved basal stipules, 1.0-2.5 mm. Rachis 1.0-2.0 mm, with one pair of terminal pinnae, a acuminate to deltoid bract clasping the base of pinnae, small gland opposite the bract between the pinnae, rachilla 5.0-13.0 mm. Leaflets alternate, ovate to elliptic, 2.5-5.5 mm x 0.5-1.5 mm, with 13-17 leaflets per rachilla, margin entire. Inflorescence a capitulum, red to deep maroon, 5.0-8.5 mm in diameter, peduncle hirtellous, 4.0-13.5 mm. Flowers hermaphroditic, actinomorphic. Sepals 5, fused at the base, ovate to deltoid, hirtellous, 0.6-1.2 mm x 0.5-1 mm. Petals 5, ovate to acuminate, free, 2.0-3.0 mm x 0.6-1.0 mm. Stamens 10, distinct, filaments 2.0-2.8 mm, anther dorsifixed, 0.4-0.5 x 0.3-0.5 mm, pollen grains bright yellow. Ovary extremely hirtellous at the base, style 2.3-3.0 mm, stigma club to disc-shaped. Fruit an indehiscent, asymmetric, winged legume, 1-6 per head, 7.5-17.5 x 7.0-12.5 mm, reniform to flabellate, with an acute tip, pericarp red brown, pubescent, raised ridge forming a ring above the seed(s), style and stigma sometimes persistent on the fruit. Seeds 1-2 per fruit, obovate, 2.5-3.0 x 4.5-5 mm. (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xerocladia_viridiramis) Xerocladia is most closely related to Prosopis. They both have stipular spines, leaves with few pairs of pinnae, and 10 stamens. In contrast to Xerocladia, Prosopis usually has a spicate inflorescence instead of a capitulum, an elongate straight or spiral legume pod which is not winged. Prosopis also has more (18-30) leaflets per rachilla, and leaflets opposite or sub opposite rather than alternate. (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xerocladia_viridiramis) |
| Link(s) |
African Plant Database
JSTOR Plant Science Kew Herbarium Catalogue BGBM Berlin-Dahlem - Virtual Herbarium Züricher Herbarien iNaturalist (Namibia / Alex Dreyer) iNaturalist (Namibia) iNaturalist (southern Africa) Flora of Zimbabwe Fleurs de notre Terre - Galerie Namibie Tree Atlas of Namibia |
| Content last updated: | 18 Apr 2024 |
