Derris indica

Derris indica ( Lamk.) Bennet, in Journ. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 68:303,1971; Bhandari, Fl. Ind. Desert ed. 2, 104, 1990; Kamble and Pradhan,; Fl. Akola 61,1988.

Common name:- Karanj, Sukhchain.
“Pongam, Minari: , Rheede, Hort. Mal. 6: 5-6,t. 3, 1686.
FAMILY: FABACEAE
Morphological characters:
Habit:- A tree reaching 15-20 m high; branches spreading, glabrous; bark soft, grayish-green.
Leaves:- 10-20 cm long, pale-green, petioles 4-5 cm long, stipules small, oblong, obtuse, caduceus.
Leaflets:- opposite, 5-9(usually 5), 6-12
Lamina size:- 4-8 cm.
Lamina shape:- ovate-oblong or elliptic.
Lamina surface:- glabrous.
Apex:- acute or shortly acuminate.
Base:- acute or rounded.
Venation:- main nerves 6-8 pairs, prominent beneath.
Petioles:- 6 mm long.
Inflorescence:- Flowers in short axillary racemes shorter than the leaves.
Flower:-Bracteate, bracteolate, complete, bisexuals, zygomorphic, pentamerous, hypogynous or perigynous, pedicles 1-7 mm long, in fascicles of 2-4 along a glabrous or puberulous rachis, bracteoles ovate, acute, 2.5 mm long.
Calyx:- 3 mm long, Purplish-brown, pubescent, truncate or obscurely toothed.
Corolla:- 1 cm long, pinkish-white, standard sub-orbicular, 9-10 mm broad, emarginated, appendiculate at the base, the claw very short.
Androecium:- Stamens (9)+1, Diadelphous
Gynoecium:- Monocarpellary, superior, unilocular ovary, with marginal placentation, style single, long, slightly bearded at the top incurved and stigma simple, terminal.
Fruit:- Pods 4-5 by 2-2.5 cm, about 6mm thick, oblong or slightly obovoid, compressed, narrowed at the base and with a short decurved mucro at the apex, glabrous.

Flowers:- March-August.