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Desmanthus virgatus

(L.) Willd. (1806)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Rosids Order: Fabales Family: Fabaceae Genus: Desmanthus

Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Subshrubs up to 2 m tall.

Stems: Stems sparingly branched or unbranched.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves compound. Alternate. Leaves with (1)2–7 pairs of pinnae, with a red nectary between the lowermost pair, leaflets small, opposite, linear 10–25 pairs per pinna, 4–9 mm long, 7–2 mm wide. Leaflet margins entire. Petiolate. Stipules small, subulate, 2.5–6 mm long, persistent.

Flowers: Flowers ca. 2 mm long, 6–8 in heads ca. 4 mm in diameter (excl. stamens). Flowers mimosaceous, bisexual (perfect), sometimes those in lower part of inflorescence staminate or neutral, these without petals but with staminodes, each one minute. Calyx campanulate, shortly 5-lobed. Petals white, ca. 4 mm long. Stamens (6–)10, ca. 5 mm long; filaments distinct, exserted. Ovary superior; ovules numerous.

Fruit: Pods usually 2–4 forming per head; linear; 5–9 cm long; 0.3–0.4 cm wide; flattened; dehiscent. Seeds 20–30; grayish brown; ovoid to polygonous; 2–3 mm long; 1.5–2 mm in diameter; ovoid; compressed.

Ploidy: 2n = 28

Habitat: Dry; open; disturbed areas.

Elevation Range: 0–215 m.

Historical Distribution

Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Only found in cultivation

Island Status

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Notes

  • Description digitized by Dylan Charter
  • Description digitized from the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii
  • First eollected on O'ahu in l9l2 (Forbes I 73 9. O, BISH).-Plate 9 I.

Bibliography

Name Published In: Sp. Pl., ed. 4, 4: 1047 (1806)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
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