Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 7, 2026

Microcharis

Microcharis is a genus of flowering plants. It includes 36 species of herbs and shrublets native to Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The genus is in tribe Indigofereae of family Fabaceae. Typical habitats include seasonally-dry tropical forest margins, woodland, thicket, wooded grassland, and grassland, often in damp, swampy, or riverine areas, or in shallow soil over rocks.

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Jun 7, 2026
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Microcharis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Spermatophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Tribe: Indigofereae
Genus: Microcharis
Benth. (1865)
Type species
Microcharis tenella
Benth.
Species1

36; see text

Synonyms2
  • Indigofera subgenus Microcharis (Benth.) J.B. Gillett 1958
  • Indigofera subgenus Indigastrum sensu Cronquist 1954
  • Indigofera sensu Hutch. 1964

Microcharis is a genus of flowering plants. It includes 36 species of herbs and shrublets native to Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.1 The genus is in tribe Indigofereae of family Fabaceae.3 Typical habitats include seasonally-dry tropical forest margins, woodland, thicket, wooded grassland, and grassland, often in damp, swampy, or riverine areas, or in shallow soil over rocks.1

Species

Microcharis comprises the following species:1245

  • Microcharis ammophila (Thulin) Schrire
  • Microcharis angolensis Baker
  • Microcharis annua (Milne-Redh.) Schrire
  • Microcharis aphylla (R.Vig.) Schrire, Du Puy & Labat
  • Microcharis asparagoides (Taub.) Schrire
  • Microcharis brevistaminea (J.B.Gillett) Schrire
  • Microcharis buchneri (Taub.) Schrire
  • Microcharis butayei (De Wild.) Schrire
  • Microcharis cana (Thulin) Schrire
  • Microcharis contorta (J.B.Gillett) Schrire
  • Microcharis cufodontii (Chiov.) Schrire
  • Microcharis disjuncta (J.B.Gillett) Schrire
    • var. disjuncta (J.B.Gillett) Schrire
    • var. fallax (J.B. Gillett) Schrire
  • Microcharis ephemera (J.B.Gillett) Schrire
  • Microcharis galpinii N.E.Br.
  • Microcharis garissaensis (J.B.Gillett) Schrire
  • Microcharis gyrata (Thulin) Schrire
  • Microcharis karinensis (Thulin) Schrire
  • Microcharis kucharii (Thulin) Schrire
  • Microcharis latifolia Benth.
  • Microcharis longicalyx (J.B.Gillett) Schrire
  • Microcharis medicaginea (Baker) Schrire
  • Microcharis microcharoides (Taub.) Schrire
    • var. latistipulata (J.B. Gillett) Schrire
    • var. microcharoides (Taub.) Schrire
  • Microcharis nematophylla Thulin
  • Microcharis omissa Thulin
  • Microcharis phyllogramme (R.Vig.) Schrire
  • Microcharis praetermissa (Baker f.) Schrire
  • Microcharis remotiflora (Baker f.) Schrire
  • Microcharis sessilis (Thulin) Schrire
  • Microcharis spathulata (J.B.Gillett) Schrire
  • Microcharis stipulosa (Chiov.) Schrire
  • Microcharis tenella Benth.
  • Microcharis tenuirostris (Thulin) Schrire
  • Microcharis tisserantii (Pellegr.) Schrire
  • Microcharis tritoides (Baker) Schrire
    • subsp. obbiadensis (Chiov.) Schrire
    • subsp. tritoides (Baker) Schrire
  • Microcharis wajirensis (J.B.Gillett) Schrire
  • Microcharis welwitschii (Baker) Schrire
References

References

  1. Microcharis Benth. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  2. Schrire BD (1992). "New combinations and resurrected names in Microcharis and Indigastrum (Fabaceae—Papilionoideae)". Bothalia. 22 (2): 165–170. doi:10.4102/abc.v22i2.833.
  3. Schrire BD, Lavin M, Barker NP, Forest F (2009). "Phylogeny of the tribe Indigofereae (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae): Geographically structured more in succulent-rich and temperate settings than in grass-rich environments". Am J Bot. 96 (4): 816–52. doi:10.3732/ajb.0800185. PMID 21628237.
  4. "ILDIS LegumeWeb entry for Microcharis". International Legume Database & Information Service. Cardiff School of Computer Science & Informatics. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  5. USDA; ARS; National Genetic Resources Program. "GRIN species records of Microcharis". Germplasm Resources Information Network—(GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
External links