Cleome angustifolia Forssk.

Cleome species are annual or perennial herbs. Stem simple or sparsely branched, glabrous or grandular pubescent, foetid or sometimes with scattered prickly appendages. Leaves simple, spiral or digitately 3-13 foliate, lanceolate to oblanceolate, margin entire or serrate, lower leaves petiolate, upper ones subsessile to sessile, stipules scalelike, caducous or absent. Inflorescence racemes, solitary to many flowered, terminal or axillary. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic or rarely actinomorphic, pedicellate, bracts membranous or leaflike, caducous or persistent, sepals 4, equal, valvate, free or slightly fused at the base, subtending nectary glands at the base, pubescent, petals 4, equal or unequal, usually clawed at base, longer than the sepals. Stamens 4-6 to many, filament inserted on a discoid, declinate, glabrous, anthers linear oblong. Ovary superior, bicarpellary, sessile or on short gynophore, unilocular, ovules many on parietal 2 placentae, style short or absent, stigma capitate. Fruit capsule, dehiscent, linear oblong, with persistent seed bearing replum. Seeds 4-40, orbicular or reniform, cleft fused between 2 ends, surface smooth, reticulate or warty, embryo straight.

Herb

Flowering class: Dicot Habit: Herb

Flowering and fruiting: June-January

Cleome species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Flowering/Fruiting: June-January.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., wind dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Annual herbs, about 10-50 cm tall. Stem slender, filiform when young, much branched and glabrous. Leaves tri-foliate, leaflets sessile, usually filiform, linear oblanceolate, about 20-40 x 1-2 mm across, margin entire, apex acute, lower most leaf with oblanceolate leaflets, petiole about 12-20 mm long. Inflorescence racemes, 2-6 flowered, terminal or subterminal or clearly demarcated. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic, yellow and dark brown near the base, apex obtuse, about 3-3.5 mm across, pedicel about 4-6 mm long, bracts membranous or leaflike, caducous, sepals 4, equal, valvate, free or slightly fused at the base, subtending nectary glands at the base, apex acute, pubescent, about 1-1.5 mm long, petals 4, unequal, usually clawed at base, about 3-4 mm long. Stamens 6-8, filament inserted on a discoid, declinate, glabrous, anthers brown, linear oblong. Ovary superior, bicarpellary, unilocular, ovules many on parietal 2 placentae, style short, stigma capitate. Fruit capsule, dehiscent, linear oblong, sub terete, aobut 15-50 x 1.5-2.2 mm across, with persistent seed bearing replum, glabrous. Seeds 10-40, about 0.5-0.7 mm across, suborbicular, cleft fused between 2 ends, surface minutely rugulose.

Cleome species are susceptible to various insect pests, virus, and fungi, affecting leaves, fruits and roots.

Notes: Dry sandy places

Sandy places and rocky slopes, altitude almost sea level to 350 m.

Open areas, shady places

Dry, sandy places

Not evaluated (IUCN).