Lebeckia ambigua
Creators: name: le Roux, M. M.
name: Van Wyk, B. - E.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2007
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Fabales
Fabaceae
Lebeckia
Lebeckia ambigua

description: <i>4.1. L. ambigua</i> <i>L. ambigua</i> E. Mey., Comm. Pl. Afr. Austr. 1: 34 (1836), <i>pro parte majore</i>; Benth. in Hook., Lond. J. Bot. 3: 357 (1844); Harv. in Harv and Sond., Fl. Cap. 2: 86 (1862); Goldblatt and Manning, Cape Plants, Strelitzia 9: 493 (2000). Type: South Africa, “Uienvalley” [near Clanwilliam, 3218 BB], <i>Drège s.n.</i> (“ III, A, c”) (P!, the specimen on the right hand side of the sheet, lectotype designated here; S!, isosyntype) and Saldanha Bay [3318 AA], <i>Drège s.n.</i> (“ III, E, b”), (P! isosyntype). Erect, glaucous suffrutex, up to 0.8 m in height. <i>Leaves</i> simple, acicular, articulated near the middle; leaf density 2–5 per 10 mm length of stem. <i>Inflorescences</i> terminal, 90–350 mm long; rachis smooth; flowers numerous, relatively sparse (3–5 per 10 mm length of rachis), intermediate in size (7–10 mm long); pedicel 2– 3 mm long; bract narrowly lanceolate, acuminate, 2.0– 3.5 mm long; bracteoles narrowly triangular, acuminate, ± 1 mm long. <i>Calyx</i> 3.5–5 mm long, tube 1.5–2.5 mm long, lobes 1.5–2.5 mm long; subequally lobed but the upper lateral sinuses much wider than the medial sinus and the lower lateral sinuses; lobes deltoid, tips minutely pubescent inside. <i>Standard</i> widely ovate to orbicular, 8–10 × 4.5–8.0 mm; apex obtuse; claw 1–2 mm long. <i>Wings</i> oblong, as long as or usually longer than the keel, 7–9 × 2.0– 3.5 mm, with 9–12 rows of sculpturing; apex obtuse; claws 1.5–2.5 mm long. <i>Keel</i> rostrate, 6.0–8.5× 2.5– 3.5 mm, usually with pockets; claws 1.5–3.0 mm long. <i>Pistil</i> subsessile; ovary 5.5–11.0 × ± 0.5 mm long, linear; ovules many (14–18); style 2.5–3.5 mm long, curved upwards. <i>Pods</i> narrowly linear, straight or falcate, up to 75 × 2 mm; dehiscent; terete; fruit wall thin, membranous. <i>Seeds</i> oblong-reniform, 2.0 × 1.2 mm, rugose, light pink; hilum black (Fig. 5). <i>4.1.1. Diagnostic characters</i> <i>L. ambigua</i> is closely related to <i>L. sepiaria</i> but differs in the membranous, narrowly linear, straight or falcate, ± 2 mm wide, dehiscent fruit (<i>L. sepiaria</i> has spongy, linear, straight, ± 4 mm wide and indehiscent fruit) and smaller flowers (7–10 mm long) (12–18 mm long in <i>L. sepiaria</i>) (Fig. 5). <i>4.1.2. Distribution and habitat</i> <i>L. ambigua</i> occurs in the low-lying coastal region of the Northern and Western Cape Provinces, from Namaqualand southwards to a little north of Cape Town (Fig. 6). The altitude is usually below 300 m but may be up to 900 m at some localities. Plants grow in deep sandy soil, usually in obviously disturbed areas such as riverbanks and roadsides. <i>4.1.3. Specimens examined</i> – <b>2917</b> (Namaqualand): Namaqualand (– CD), <i>Le Roux 374</i> (NBG). – <b>3017</b> (Kamieskroon): Kotzerus (– DD), <i>Acocks 23398</i> (PRE). – <b>3117</b> (Vredendal): Lepelfontein (– BB), <i>Helme 2930</i> (NBG). – <b>3118</b> (Van Rhynsdorp): 23 miles from Clanwilliam (– DA), <i>Grobbelaar 1129</i> (PRE); Van Rhynsdorp (– DA), <i>Marloth 2627</i> (PRE), <i>Rossouw 18619</i> (NBG); near turn-off to Klawer on the N7 (– DA), <i>Van Wyk 3120</i> (JRAU); foot of Gifberg (– DB), <i>Zietsman 1180</i> (PRE); foot of Heerelogementsberg near Klawer (– DC), <i>Van Wyk 3284</i> (JRAU); Klawer (– DC), <i>Barker 3637</i> (NBG), <i>Lewis 1309</i> (SAM); De Little Farm, Nardouwsberg (– DD), <i>Stirton 9365</i> (PRE). – <b>3119</b> (Calvinia): Arendskraal Farm, near Nieuwoudtville (– AC), <i>Barker 9781</i> (NBG); Lokenburg House (– CA), <i>Acocks 18568</i> (PRE); top of Botterkloof (– CD), <i>Barker 6515</i> (NBG). – <b>3218</b> (Clanwilliam): Wadrif, Soutpan, coastal side of the railway (– AB), O̕Ca <i>llanghan</i>, <i>Van Wyk and Morley 90</i> (PRE); Lambert̕s Bay (– AB), <i>Henrici 3297</i> (PRE); farm Wolfhuis (– AB), <i>Stirton 9294</i>, <i>9388</i> (PRE); Uitkomsberge, Bo-Voëlfontein Farm (– AB), <i>Stirton 9351</i> (PRE); Nortier station (– AB), <i>Van Breda 4460</i> (PRE); Verlore Vlei (– AD), <i>Stirton 6100</i> (PRE); between Elandsvlei and Redelinghuys (– AD), <i>Stirton 6117</i> (PRE); between Leipoldtville and Elands Bay (– AD), <i>Zinn s.n.</i> (SAM); between Lambert̕s Bay and Clanwilliam (– BA), <i>Marsh 781</i> (NBG); Graaffwater (– BA), <i>Van Breda 4363</i> (PRE); Clanwilliam Park (– BB), <i>Acocks 15179</i> (PRE); Olifants River Bridge (– BB), <i>De Winter 9564</i> (PRE); Clanwilliam (– BB), <i>Leipoldt 349</i> (SAM), <i>Repton 7176</i> (PRE), <i>Van Wyk 2605</i> (PRE); between Clanwilliam and Springbok (– BB), <i>Le Roux 2625</i> (BOL); north of Clanwilliam (– BB), <i>Le Roux</i>, <i>Boatwright</i>, <i>Magee and Van Wyk 6</i> (JRAU); Redelinghuys, Piketberg (– BC), <i>Acocks 19795</i> (PRE), <i>Compton 15052</i> (NBG); Paleisheuwel (– BC), <i>Stirton 9294</i> (PRE); Berg River (– CC), <i>Ecklon and Zeyher 1334</i> (SAM); Berg River Station, Malmesbury (– CD), <i>Compton 15103</i> (NBG); Paleisheuwel (– CD), <i>Stirton 9294</i> (PRE); Berg River Valley (– DA), <i>Acock 2930</i> (S); Paleisheuwel Station, north of Het Kruis (– DA), <i>Wisura 3486</i> (NBG); 3 miles from Grey̕s Pass, Piketberg (– DB), <i>Barker 6406</i> (NBG); between Piketberg and Grey̕s Pass (– DB), <i>Lewis 3391</i> (SAM); between Piketberg and Citrusdal (– DB), <i>Parker 3588</i> (NBG); Citrusdal (– DB), <i>Niemand 11</i> (JRAU); between Pakhuis Pass and Piquetberg (– DB), <i>Parker 61</i> (BOL); between Citrusdal and Clanwilliam (– DB), <i>Van Wyk 2900</i> (JRAU); Piekenierskloof Pass (– DB), <i>Van Wyk 3220</i> (JRAU); Olifantsrivier (– DC), <i>Grobbelaar 1129</i> (PRE); Piketberg (– DC), <i>Heyns 26146</i> (NBG); Sauer (– DC), <i>Acocks 24459</i> (PRE); Piketberg (– DD), <i>Van Breda 352</i> (PRE). – <b>3219</b> (Wuppertal): Cedarberg, Boesmanskloof, Wuppertal (– AA), <i>Van Rooyen</i>, <i>Steyn and De Villiers 499</i> (NBG); Cedarberg, Wuppertal (– AC), <i>Bolus 8972</i> (NBG); Warm Baths (– CA), <i>Le Roux</i>, <i>Boatwright</i>, <i>Magee and Van Wyk 9</i> (JRAU). – <b>3318</b> (Cape Town): Langebaan, Schrywershoek (– AA), <i>Boucher 2946e</i> (NBG); Langebaan (– AA), <i>Cupido 13</i> (NBG); Langebaan, behind the granite koppie (– AA), <i>Goldblatt 2704</i> (PRE); Saldanha Bay, Langebaan (– AA), <i>Taylor 3757</i> (NBG); Darling near Ysterfontein (– AA), <i>Van Rensburg 157</i> (NBG, PRE); 125 km north of Cape Town on the R27 (– AA), <i>Van Wyk 3290</i> (JRAU); Hopefield (– AB), <i>Acocks 20669</i> (PRE), <i>Bolus 12653</i> (PRE); Modderriver (– AD), <i>Le Roux</i>, <i>Boatwright</i>, <i>Magee and Van Wyk 14</i> (JRAU); in fields near Hopefield (– DC), <i>Letty 35</i> (PRE).
description: Published as part of <i>le Roux, M. M. &amp; Van Wyk, B. - E., 2007, A revision of Lebeckia sect. Lebeckia: The L. sepiaria group, pp. 118-130 in South African Journal of Botany 73 (1)</i> on pages 122-124, DOI: 10.1016/j.sajb.2006.09.005, http://zenodo.org/record/7958313