Flora Zambesiaca

Taxon Detail

Back to Key

FZ volume:1 part:1 (1960) Capparidaceae by H. Wild

(Search other Kew databases for: Cleome rubella)

Cleome rubella Burch.

Trav. Int. S. Afr. 1: 543 (1822). — Sond. in Harv. & Sond., F.C. 1: 56 (1860) — Gilg & Bened. in Engl., Bot. Jahrb. 53: 157 (1915). — Burtt Davy, F.P.F.T. 1: 121 (1926). — Exell & Mendonça, C.F.A. 1 1: 56 (1937). Type from Cape Province (Griqualand West, Asbestos Mts.).

Distribution:

Botswana

N: Ngamiland, Botletle valley, fl., & fr., Lugard 189 (K).

SE: Bakwena country, fr. 1876, Holub (K).

Zambia

B: Sesheke, fl. & fr. 1911, Macaulay 15 (K).

Range:

Angola;  Cape Province;  Natal;  Orange Free State;  SW. Africa;  Transvaal; 

Habitat:

Recorded only from our driest areas to the west. 

Description:

Annual herb c. 0.3 m. tall, much branched as a rule, with densely glandular-pubescent stems. Leaves 5–7 (9)-foliolate, with glandular-pubescent petioles about 2 cm. long but becoming shorter towards the inflorescences; leaflets 1–3 x 0.15–0.2 cm., linear, often channelled above, subacute or obtuse at the apex, glaucous, sparsely glandular-pubescent or glabrous, very shortly petiolulate. Inflorescence of terminal, rather lax racemes; bracts similar to the leaves but sessile or subsessile and with progressively fewer leaflets up the stem; pedicels 0.5–1.0 cm. long, slender, glandular-pubescent. Sepals 3–4 mm. long, linear-subulate with hyaline margins, sparsely glandular-puberulous. Petals 5–8 x 2–.5 mm., from violet to rose-pink, oblong-lanceolate, blunt at the apex, with a basal claw up to 1/3 the length of the lamina. Stamens 6–9; filaments about as long as the petals, slender, glabrous, purplish; anther-thecae c. 1.5 mm. long, linear. Ovary linear, minutely glandular-pubescent, on a glandular-pubescent gynophore c. 1 mm. long; style c. 1 mm. long, glabrous; stigma subcapitate. Capsule c. 2–3.5 x 0.2–0.3 cm., on a glandular-pubescent gynophore 2–3 mm. long; valves glandular-pubescent, with about 9 longitudinal, anastomosing nerves; persistent style about 2 mm. long. Seeds c. 2 mm. in diam., dark brown, transversely rugose.

Notes:

This species is related to C. hirta but is consistently smaller in all parts.

Flora Zambesiaca