Flemingia bracteata

Flemingia bracteata (Roxb.) Wight, Icon. t. 268, 1840;

FAMILY: FABACEAE
Morphological characters:
Habit:- An erect shrub 1-3m. high;
Stem colour:- Grayish brown.
Stem shape:- Branches more or less angular.
Texture:- Softly downy when young.
Internode:-6-9cm.long.
Leaves:- Simple, alternate, stipulate, subcoriaceous, minutely gland dotted.
Lamina shape:- Ovate.
Leaf base:- Pulvinous.
Lamina upper surface:- Dark green in colour, glabrous.
Lamina lower surface:- Paler and slightly hairy on verves.
Apex:- Acute.
Lamina base:- Rounded or cordate.
Lamina margin:- Entire.
Leaf size:- Length-7.5 cm. and Width- 4-6 cm.
Leaf venation:- Unicostate reticulate venation.
Main nerves:- 4-6 pairs.
Petiole:- 3-20 mm. long, pulvinous at both ends, pubescent, downy.
Stipules:- 8-15 mm. long, linear, bristle-pointed, sub persistent.
Stipels:- 0.
Inflorescence:- In axillary and terminal branched racemes, closely arranged along a pubescent and nearly straight rhachis.
Flower:-Bracteate, complete, bisexuals, zygomorphic, pentamerous, hypogynous or perigynous.
Pedicels:-0.1 mm. long.
Bract:- Membranous, 2 cm. long, usually broader than long, rounded or emarginated at apex, cordate at base, reticulately veined, the flowers hidden within the folded bracts, softely hirsute and ciliate with long hairs.
Calyx:- 5,gamosepalous, 5 mm. long, hirsute, teeth triangular, acute, longer than the tube.
Corolla:- 5, purple or rosy polypetalous, papilioneous, 6 mm.long.
Androecium:- 10, diadelphous (9)+1, Anther basifixed.
Gynoecium:- Monocarpellar, superior ovary, unilocular ovary with marginal placentation.
Style:- Single and
Stigma:- Simple.
Fruit:- Pods 6-8 mm. long, oblong, turgid, rounded and mucronate at the apex, entirely concealed by the persistent bracts.
Seeds:-2, rarely 1.
Flowering:- Oct- Dec.