Taxon:  Tylosema fassoglense (Kotschy ex Schweinf.) Torre & Hillc.



Summary
Genus:
Tylosema
Family:
Fabaceae (alt. Leguminosae)
Subfamily:
Cercidoideae
Tribe:
Cercideae
Subtribe:
Bauhiniinae
Nomen number:
40798
Place of publication:
Bol. Soc. Brot. sér. 2, 29:38.  1955
Verified:
05/17/2005 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
3 (0  active, 0  available) in National Plant Germplasm System.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Basionym
Bauhinia fassoglensis Kotschy ex Schweinf.

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Bauhinia kirkii Oliv.

Images (1 total. Click on image for more.)
Seed

Conservation Status

Reference(s)
  1. PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
  2. Castro, S. et al. 2005. Systematic studies in Tylosema (Leguminosae). Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 147:107-109.
  3. Dyer, R. A. et al., eds. 1963-. Flora of southern Africa.
  4. Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
  5. Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
  6. Merxmüller, H., ed. 1966-1972. Prodromus einer flora von Sudwestafrika.
  7. National Academy of Sciences. 1979. Tropical legumes: resources for the future
  8. Otieno, V. et al. 2020. Germination response to temperature and water potential for Sprawling bauhinia (Tylosema fassoglense), a potential crop fopr Kenya. S. African J. Bot. 132:463-470. DOI: 10.1016/j.sajb.2020.02.020.
  9. Thulin, M. 1983. Leguminosae of Ethiopia. Opera Bot. 68:1-223.
  10. Troupin, G. 1978-. Flore du Rwanda.
  11. Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa. Note: lists as "fassoglensis"
  12. Wunderlin, R. P. & K. Larsen. 1981. Tribe 3. Cercideae Bronn. Advances in legume systematics. 1:116. Note: places Tylosema in synonymy under Bauhinia
Common names
LanguageNameAlternate namenoteseqCitation
Englishmarama-bean  1National Academy of Sciences. 1979. Tropical legumes: resources for the future
Englisholomapa  1Castro, S. et al. 2005. Systematic studies in Tylosema (Leguminosae). Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 147:107-109.
Englishsprawling-bauhinia  1Otieno, V. et al. 2020. Germination response to temperature and water potential for Sprawling bauhinia (Tylosema fassoglense), a potential crop fopr Kenya. S. African J. Bot. 132:463-470. DOI: 10.1016/j.sajb.2020.02.020.
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNoteReference
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaKenya  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa. Note: lists as "fassoglensis"
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaTanzania  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa. Note: lists as "fassoglensis"
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaUganda  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa. Note: lists as "fassoglensis"
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaEthiopia  Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaSudan  Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaAngola  Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaMalawi  Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaMozambique  Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaZambia  Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaZimbabwe  Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaEswatini  Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaNamibia  Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaKwaZulu-Natal Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaLimpopo Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaMpumalanga Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaBurundi  Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaDemocratic Republic of the Congo s. & e.Robyns, W. et al., eds. 1948-1963. Flore du Congo belge et du Ruanda-Urundi
Native
Africa
  • NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Ethiopia, Sudan
  • EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
  • WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo (s. & e.)
  • SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Angola, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe
  • SOUTHERN AFRICA: Namibia, Eswatini, South Africa [KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga]

Reference(s)
  1. Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
  2. Lock, J. M. 1989. Legumes of Africa: a checklist
  3. Robyns, W. et al., eds. 1948-1963. Flore du Congo belge et du Ruanda-Urundi
  4. Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa. Note: lists as "fassoglensis"
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Human foodoil/fatpotentialOtieno, V. et al. 2020. Germination response to temperature and water potential for Sprawling bauhinia (Tylosema fassoglense), a potential crop fopr Kenya. S. African J. Bot. 132:463-470. DOI: 10.1016/j.sajb.2020.02.020.
Human foodpulsepotentialNational Academy of Sciences. 1979. Tropical legumes: resources for the future
Human foodpulsepotentialOtieno, V. et al. 2020. Germination response to temperature and water potential for Sprawling bauhinia (Tylosema fassoglense), a potential crop fopr Kenya. S. African J. Bot. 132:463-470. DOI: 10.1016/j.sajb.2020.02.020.
Human foodstarchpotentialOtieno, V. et al. 2020. Germination response to temperature and water potential for Sprawling bauhinia (Tylosema fassoglense), a potential crop fopr Kenya. S. African J. Bot. 132:463-470. DOI: 10.1016/j.sajb.2020.02.020.
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=40798. Accessed 13 May 2026.