Calobota

Calobota is a genus of hairy shrubs or shrublets in the Fabaceae or legume family. Some of the much-branched plants are spiny. The genus was reinstated in 2009 from species of the Lebeckia genus and one north African species of Spartidium.

The mostly trifoliolate leaves are soft-textured and stalked. Some plants, like Calobota cuspidosa have unifoliolate leaves.

The usually yellow and sometimes fragrant flowers often grow in terminal racemes. The calyx is often oblique and bell-shaped, the mostly equal lobes shorter than the tube. The corolla comprises five petals: a wide banner flexed back and a pair of wings folding over the pair of keel petals, usually joined at one margin. The stamens are together, the ovary has several ovules and the style curves in, ending in a tiny head-like stigma.

The fruit is an oblong or sickle-shaped pod.

The genus comprises about 16 species, 13 of which occur in South Africa. Several grow in the winter rainfall region and many in semi-arid conditions. C. saharae grows on dunes in north Africa, C. linearifolia only in desert conditions in Namibia.

The plant in picture is C. cytisoides (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Wikipedia; http://redlist.sanbi.org).