Balloon peas

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Balloon peas
Lessertia frutescens, illustration by William Curtis

Lessertia frutescens , illustration by William Curtis

Systematics
Order : Fabales (Fabales)
Family : Legumes (Fabaceae)
Subfamily : Butterflies (Faboideae)
Tribe : Galegeae
Sub tribus : Coluteinae
Genre : Balloon peas
Scientific name
Lessertia
DC.
Flower of Lessertia frutescens in the habitat
Lessertia perennans , illustration

The lessertia ( Lessertia ) are a genus of the subfamily Pea (Faboideae) in the family of legumes (Fabaceae, Leguminosae). They are closely related to the bladder bushes ( Colutea ). The genus is named after the French botanist Jules Paul Benjamin Delessert .

description

Balloon peas are usually perennial , rarely also annual , herbaceous plants or shrubs . The stem axis is erect or prostrate. The leaves are pinnate unpaired or rarely simple. The stipules are paired.

The flowers, standing above paired bracts , are grouped in elongated or almost head-like, axillary, racemose inflorescences, or are rarely isolated. The small, zygomorphic flowers are 6 to 10 millimeters long. The calyx teeth are more or less the same. The nailed petals are pink, purple or yellow. Pollination takes place by birds ( ornithophilia ).

The legumes are elongated, compressed, or rarely puffed up, and are spread out by the wind.

distribution

The genus occurs mainly in Africa , with the distribution center in the south, only the species L. benguellensis , L. pauciflora , L. incana , and L. stipulata also occur in tropical regions.

use

Various species of the genus are used as fodder for cattle or as medicinal plants in traditional medicine. Infusions of Lessertia argentata and Lessertia tomentosa are used to treat eye diseases, the leaves of Lessertia stenoloba and Lessertia inflata as laxatives and Lessertia macrostachya for stomach and liver pain. A powder made from Lessertia benguellensis is used to treat syphilis , angina, and bloody urine.

Systematics

Some authors classify the very similar genus Sutherlandia R. Br. In the genus of balloon peas ( Lessertia ). Both genera are very similar in growth, with Sutherlandia the flowers are 15 to 30 millimeters in size and red, and the fruits are larger than with Lessertia . The genus of the bladder bushes ( Colutea ) is also very similar to the genus Lessertia , so that the classification of many species is controversial:

There are currently 50 to 75 species in the genus:

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Web links

Commons : Balloon Peas ( Lessertia )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files