拟大豆属 ni da dou shu

Authors: Ren Sa & Michael G. Gilbert

Perennial herbs, subshrubs, or shrubs, twining or rarely erect. Leaves pinnately (1-)3-9-foliolate; stipules linear, small; stipels small or absent. Inflorescence axillary, racemose, solitary, paired, or clustered. Bracts styliform or linear. Calyx membranous, cam­panulate, sometimes cylindric-campanulate, 5-lobed; lobes subequal, all shorter than tube, upper 2 ± connate. Corolla longer than calyx; standard pandurate, sometimes reniform, ovate-oblong, or almost circular, silky hairy outside, base acuminate to wide and short stipe; wings usually narrowly elliptic, with stipe and auricles; keels oblong or obovate, equal to or shorter than wings. Stamens diadelphous; vexillary stamen free; anthers uniform. Ovary subsessile; ovules 2-8; style thick; stigma small, capitate. Legume oblong or linear-oblong, dehiscent, oblate, margins slightly thickened, 2-5-seeded. Seeds oblong-ovate, smooth; hilum short, central; aril spongy, with strophiole.

About 13 species: tropical Africa, Asia; one species in China.

Lower Taxon

• Ophrestia pinnata (Merrill) H. M. L. Forbes