| DESCRIPTION: Woody herbaceous legume, 0.1-1 m tall, usually with a thick woody rootstock and many branches. Leaflets elliptic or lanceolate, narrowed to both ends, 5-33 mm long, 1-9 mm wide. Flowers cream to yellow. Pod 4-9 mm long. USE: Used in pasture in mixtures with perennial grasses or for improving fertility of fallow areas through leaf drop and nitrogen fixation. Prostrate forms are useful for soil erosion control. It has also been intercropped with millet in dry areas. It is heavily grazed by livestock in native pastures in Africa. GROWING PERIOD: Perennial or annual in areas with poor rainfall COMMON NAMES: African stylo. FURTHER INF: Native of Africa south of Sahara and western and southern Asia. Found in grassland, woodland, scrub and weed of old cultivations. Can tolerate light shade and frequently grows under Acacia in the African savannas. Occurs from sea level up to about 2000 m in the tropics. Grow well at temperatures between 25-30°C. It can tolerate short cool periods and light frosts. Found in areas with annual rainfall from less than 300 to more than 1500 mm. It is moderately tolerant to waterlogging and very drought tolerant. Best growth on sandy, well-drained, alkaline soils and tolerant of acid and clay soils. It grows well in soils from pH 4.0-8.0 and is tolerant of low fertility. |