Desmodium laxiflorum

Desmodium laxiflorum DC. in Arn. Sci. Nat. 4: 100, 1825; Baker in Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 2: 164, 876, Talbot, Trees Bombay 70, 902; Woodrow in JBNHS 11:423, 1897; Cooke, Fl. Pres.; Bombay 1:353, 1902; Santapau; Fl. Khandala ed. 3, 61, 1967; Ugemuge, Fl. Nagpur, 141, 1986; Almeida, Fl. Savantwadi, 131, 1990; Patel, Fl. Melghat 109,1968; Cherian and Pataskar, BOBSI 11.27 and 386, 1969; G. L. Shah, Bul. Bot. Surv. Ind. 4(1-4): 235, 1962; Kulkarni, Fl. Sindhudurg Dist. 119, 1988; M.R.Almeida 2: 64, 1998.

Vernacular name:- Bhutsheura, Jangli-ganja; heuni, Laypati.

FAMILY: FABACEAE
Morphological characters:

Habit:- An erect undershrub 0.6-2 m high; stems slender, woody, obtusely angled, clothed with short white sub-appressed hairs when young, at length glabrescent.
Leaves:- 3 foliate, petioles 2.5-6cm long, channeled above, pubescent with appressed hair ;stipules 9 mm long, linear- lanceolate, very acute, striate.
Leaflets:-
Lamina size:- The terminal 8-15 by 4-6 cm, the lateral 4.5-10 by 2.5-4 cm.
Lamina Shape:- elliptic-ovate, sometimes broadly lanceolate, membranous
Lamina above surface:- green and glabrous.
Lamina beneath surface:- paler.
Apex:- acute.
Base:- rounded or acute.
Venation-: main nerves 7-12 pairs, slender, prominent beneath, reticulately veined.
Petioles:- 2 mm long.
Stipels:- 6mm long, linear-subulate.
Inflorescence:- Flowers in terminal and axillary racemes 15-25 cm long, usually arranged in distant few-flowered fascicles (rarely solitary.) along slender hairy rachis.
Flower:-Bracteate, complete, bisexuals, zygomorphic, pentamerous, hypogynous or perigynous, pedicels filiform, pubescent, ultimately 4-6 mm long, finally spreading; bracts and bracteoles linear-acute, hairy.
Calyx:- 2-3 mm long, campanulate, strigose; teeth lanceolate; slightly longer than tube.
Corolla:- 6 mm long; standard white; wings and keel blue.
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 2.5-5 cm long, scarcely constricted between the seeds, clothed with minute hooked hairs.
Seeds:- 6-10, flat, 4 mm long, by 1-2mm broad.
Flowering:- September-November.