Macrotyloma (Wight & Arn.) Verdc.

Leguminosae, J. P. M. Brenan. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1967

Morphology General Habit

Annual or perennial herbs, climbing, prostrate or sometimes erect; rootstock sometimes woody

Morphology Leaves

Leaves pinnately 3-foliolate or less often 1-foliolate; stipules and stipels present

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers axillary, fasciculate or sometimes in false racemes at the apex of the stems

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 4–5-lobed; the upper pair of lobes joined to form an entire or bifid lip

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla small to medium-sized, yellow or whitish-greenish-yellow, sometimes marked with a little reddish-purple or rarely (in a Congo species) reddish, glabrous; standard rounded or elliptic, usually auriculate and provided with 2 long linear lamelliform appendages; wings very narrow; keel not twisted

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Vexillary filament free; anthers uniform

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Ovary 3–13-ovuled; style ± filiform, glabrous or shortly pubescent but not barbate; stigma terminal, ± capitate, usually with a ring of hairs surrounding it

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pods straight or curved, compressed, not septate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds compressed; hilum short and usually central; aril slightly developed or absent.

Leguminosae, B. Mackinder, R. Pasquet, R. Polhill & B. Verdcourt. Flora Zambesiaca 3:5. 2001

Morphology General Habit

Annual or perennial herbs, prostrate, climbing or occasionally erect, sometimes with a woody rootstock.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves pinnately 3-foliolate or less often 1-foliolate; stipules and stipels present.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence an axillary or terminal pseudoraceme or an axillary cluster.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 5-lobed, the upper pair of lobes partly to completely (appearing 4-lobed) fused.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla yellow, pale yellow or yellowish-green, sometimes with reddish-purple markings, small to medium-sized, glabrous; standard elliptic to broadly elliptic, auriculate and with lamelliform appendages.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Vexillary stamen free, the others fused into a sheath; anthers uniform.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Ovary 3–13-ovuled; style filiform, glabrous or shortly pubescent, with a terminal capitate stigma often surrounded by a ring of hairs.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pod narrowly oblong, compressed, dehiscent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds compressed, with a short central hilum; aril poorly developed or absent.

Legumes of the World. Edited by G. Lewis, B. Schrire, B. MacKinder & M. Lock. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. (2005)

Note

Previous accounts of the Phaseoleae by Baudet (1978) and Lackey (1981) recognised 90 and 84 genera and c. 1540 and 1480 species respectively in the tribe. In an equivalent, i.e. traditionally held view of Phaseoleae, 89 genera and (1554)–1567–(1580) species are treated here (Table 9; Fig. 47). Changes between Baudet (1978) and this treatment are that eleven genera are now in synonymy or have subsequently been placed in Millettieae, two genera have been transferred from Desmodieae and eight new genera have been added. Vigna has traditionally been thought to comprise some 150–200 species, but Vigna sens. strict. may contain fewer than 100.

Recent molecular analyses of the tribe, however, have emphasised both the polyphyletic and paraphyletic nature of Phaseoleae as traditionally circumscribed (Bruneau & Doyle, 1990; Doyle & Doyle, 1993; Delgado Salinas et al., 1993; Bruneau et al., 1995; Doyle et al., 1997, 2000; Kajita et al., 2001; Goel et al., 2001; Lee & Hymowitz, 2001). This has required a radical realignment of elements of the phaseoloids (Table 9; Fig. 47), with at least two major clades being evident: Phaseoleae subtribes Diocleinae and Ophrestiinae which together with tribe Abreae are allied to the core-Millettieae (Fig. 45), and the remaining groups comprising a Phaseoleae sens. lat. clade. The rbcL phylogeny of Kajita et al. (2001) and the ITS analysis of Hu et al. (2002) are equivocal as to which clade subtribe Clitoriinae belongs. Phaseoleae sens. lat. also includes two traditionally independent tribes, the Desmodieae and Psoraleeae. Delimiting a recircumscribed Phaseoleae sens. strict is thus very problematic. A solution may be to recognise a broad tribe Phaseoleae, comprising the subtribes Kennediinae, Cajaninae, Phaseolinae and Glycininae, assorted basally branching genera, and tribes Desmodieae and Psoraleeae (both treated at subtribal level).

Placed in subtribe Phaseolinae, sister to Dolichos and Nesphostylis (Thulin et al., 2004)

Habit

Herbs

Ecology

Seasonally dry tropical and subtropical woodland, wooded grassland, bushland, thicket and grassland, from swamps, rocky outcrops to dunes

Distribution

Africa (mostly Zambezian and Sudanian to Somalia-Masai regions; 23 spp.), Macaronesia, Arabia, Madagascar, Indian Ocean Islands; 1 sp. endemic to Indian subcontinent, introduced elsewhere