Images by Lalithamba (1,2) and Muthu Karthick (3,4- ID by Dr Narasimhan)

/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/cleome%20sp%20at%20coast%20efl.jpg
/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/cleome%20sp%20from%20coast-flower.jpg
/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Picture%20028-2.jpg
/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Picture%20029-1.jpg

 

Flora of Eastern Ghats: Hill Ranges of South East India, Volume 1 By T. Pullaiah, D. Muralidhara Rao, K. Sri Ramamurthy (2002- Description & Keys- Cleome monophylla, Cleome gynandra, Cleome viscosa, Cleome angustifolia (syn. of Cleome tenella L.f.), Cleome aspera, Cleome chelidonii & Cleome felina

 

Flora of Eastern Karnataka, Volume 1 By N. P. Singh (1988- Keys- Cleome monophylla, Cleome gynandra, Cleome viscosa, Cleome angustifolia (syn. of Cleome tenella L.f.), Cleome aspera, Cleome simplicifolia & Cleome felina

 

As per efi thread:

The confusion seems to be historical.
As per FBI and The Plant List, Cleome angustifolia A.Rich is synonym to C. tenella L.f.
Whereas, C. angustifolia Forssk. is a different species.
Both the species occur in Africa, but only C. tenella L.f. is found in India and C. angustifolia Forssk. is not reported here.
Hooker says “Indian specimens (of C. tenella L.f.) are rather smaller than African”.
It may be interesting to study our C. tenella carefully.
 

  


Annual, slender, much branched, glabrous herbs, 10-50 cm high; young stems filiform. Leaves alternate, 3-foliolate; petioles 6-10 mm long; leaflets sessile, mostly filiform, narrowly linear or oblanceolate, acute at apex, 1.2-2 cm x 1-2 mm; lowest leaf with oblanceolate lobes. Flowers 3-3.5 mm across, in lax 2-5 flowered terminal and not clearly demarcated racemes, often solitary, axillary, pedicels to 6 mm long. Petals 3-4 mm long, yellow with purple nerves. Stamens 6. Capsules sessile or subsessile, linear-subterete, 1.5-5 cm x 1.5-2 mm, glabrous; seeds suborbicular, curved, 0.5-0.7 mm across, minutely rugulose with an open cleft, brown.

Flowering and fruiting: June-January
Dry, sandy places
India, Sri Lanka, extending to Arabia and Africa
 

 

/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Picture%20027-1.jpg
Help to identify this Psammophyte. 251109MK1 : Attachments (3). 11 posts by 4 authors.
Date: 15 Nov 2009

Place: Tamaraparani River Bank, tirunelveli Dist, TN
Sorry for the poor photograph. The herb found growing in the sandy beach, having very linear leaves and capsules.
The plant seems to be closer to Molluginaceae.
Experts help to identify the herb.


it looks like a Cleome species for me!


This species has been kindly identified by Dr. Narasimhan (Reader, MCC, Chennai) as Cleome tenella.


This herb is indeed Cleome angustifolia … [syn: Cleome tenella].

Reasons: 3-foliolate linear leaves with glabrous capsules.
This Cleome sp. is commonly seen in sandy and gravel areas.


 

/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/cleome%20aspera%20efl.jpg

A tiny cleome from coast of Bay of Bengal : Attachments (3). 6 posts by 4 authors.
This a not common cleome, the flower looks like Cleome aspera, but the leaf differs. is it cleome tenella; C.aspera in rocky areas,- Pls help me in identification. 


Yes …, the 1st and 3rd pictures are of Cleome tenella.
I have seen it in the sandy habitats along the borders of TDEF near Auroville, Pondicherry.


In the flora of Andhra Pradesh by T.Pullaiah etal, Cleome tenella L.f. is given as a synonym of
Cleome angustifolia Forsk.; (after verification I found it is erroneous entry in the book) hence I had some doubt regarding identification, Thank you for clarifying. both are different species.


The confusion seems to be historical.
As per FBI and The Plant List, Cleome angustifolia A.Rich is synonym to C. tenella L.f.
Whereas, C. angustifolia Forssk. is a different species.
Both the species occur in Africa, but only C. tenella L.f. is found in India and C. angustifolia Forssk. is not reported here.
Hooker says “Indian specimens (of C. tenella L.f.) are rather smaller than African”.
It may be interesting to study our C. tenella carefully.


 

References:

The Plant List  India Biodiversity Portal  

Flora of Eastern Ghats: Hill Ranges of South East India, Volume 1 By T. Pullaiah, D. Muralidhara Rao, K. Sri Ramamurthy (2002- Description & Keys- Cleome monophylla, Cleome gynandra, Cleome viscosa, Cleome angustifolia (syn. of C. tenella L.f.), Cleome aspera, Cleome chelidonii & Cleome felina

Flora of Eastern Karnataka, Volume 1 By N. P. Singh (1988- Keys- Cleome monophylla, Cleome gynandra, Cleome viscosa, Cleome angustifolia (syn. of C. tenella L.f.), Cleome aspera, Cleome simplicifolia & Cleome felina