Smithia blanda

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  • Smithia
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Bangladesh (N); China (N); Guizhou ; Sichuan ; Yunnan ; India (N); Assam; Karnataka ; Kerala; Madhaya Pradesh ; Maharashtra; Manipur ; Meghalaya ; Nagaland ; Rajasthan; Sikkim ; Tamil Nadu ; West Bengal;  Laos (N) ; Sri Lanka (N) ; Thailand (N) as per ILDIS;
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Straggling herbs. Leaflets 8-14 x 4-6 mm, obovate, obtuse, glabrous above, sparsely bristly below, ciliate, stipule 10 x 1.5 mm, acuminate at either ends, densely bristly. Racemes paired, 4-8-flowered; peduncles 2-3 cm long, villous; pedicel 4 mm long. Flowers yellow; calyx 4 mm long, smooth; standard 8 x 7 mm, emarginate, clawed; wings 8 x 3 mm, obovate; keel deeply auricled at base.

Flowering and fruiting: August-October
Grasslands
South West India and Sri Lanka

Smithia blanda is widely spread in India, China, Laos, Sri Lanka and Thailand. It commonly occurs at an altitude of 1000-2200m. In India, it commonly seen in Tamil Nadu (Coimbatore, Nilgiri, Salem), Kerala (Travancore, Cochin hills at 4000 to 6000ft), Karantaka (Mysore), Assam, Madhya Pradesh (Hoshangabad), Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Sikkim, and West Bengal (Henry et al. 1989, Sharma et al. 1984, Sasidharan and Sivarajan 1996, Mudgal et al. 1997).
It is annual and it can be seen in wet places, along ditches, around pools, in irrigated fields and waste places. It makes a good green manure and is used as fodder but it can become a troublesome weed in irrigated fields.

Citation: Mani, S. 2011. Smithia blanda. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011: e.T175219A7124647. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.7124647.en. Downloaded on 23 April 2017.

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Fabaceae-Faboideae (Papilionaceae) Week: RVS18: Smithia for ID:
Please id this Smithia from W.Ghats, near Tirunelveli, TN.

The compound leaflets are clearly seen here. The flowers not fully open though.
Probably you caught this during latter part of the daylight.

Smithia is a nightmare for me to identify

I think it is close to images at Smithia hirsuta Dalzell

I now feel that it may be Smithia blanda as per as the hairs of calyx are not coming out of black bases (as is the case with Smithia hirsuta Dalzell).
Smithia racemosa is considered as a syn. of Smithia blanda as per The Plant List Ver. 1.1.
…,
You plant appears to be around 40 cm as per your finger size.
Pl. confirm.

Considering habit, habitat, bristles on stem and leaflets this too is setulosa. Note forked cymes. In blanda the flowers have to be capitate.

Thanks, … But as per the keys at http://florakarnataka.ces.iisc.ac.in/hjcb2/herbsheet.php?id=2087&cat=1, flowers are not to be capitate. Keys is based on whether hairs of calyx are coming out of black bases or not.
Smithia racemosa is considered as a syn. of Smithia blanda as per The Plant List Ver. 1.1.

Well. The key I follow says,
Calyx rigid, closely veined; flowers in forked racemes…setulosa
Calyx membranous, laxly veined; flowers in capitate racemes…blanda
Can’t make out calyx from pics but forked racemes surely are seen. Habitat and habit are other clues.

Thanks, …, What about Smithia racemosa ?

S blanda var. racemosa Baker is synonymous with S racemosa Heyne ex Wight & Arn.

The plant is most probably S. blanda, can confirm on the basis of microscopic studies of the calyx characteristics. S. blanda shows great variation in different geographical areas.

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249 ID wild plant: 15 images.
Please ID wild plant,
Location: near Vannappuram Thodupuzha Idukki Dist. Kerala PIN:685607
Altitude: 1500fsl
Flower date: 25.10.2021, 04.05pm
Habitat: wild, moisture, hilly rock
Plant habit: small shrub, erect, branches, semi hard stem 04mm base diameter, hairy, annual
Height: 03.5 feet
Leaves: alternate, pinnate, leaflets opposite, ovate, oblong, size:17×8mm
Flower: axillary racemose, diameter:09mm, yellow, non fragrant
Fruit: conical cup green into brown, size:5×4mm
Seed: brown 04 nos., circular compressed, diameter:01mm
Camera: mobile Samsung Galaxy A21s

Smithia conferta J.E.Smith. ??

Very close dear …, but inflorescence something different,

I think it is Smithia blanda Wall. as per images and details herein and as per POWO images and specimens (one and two), Flora of Peninsular India, FoC illustration

http://flora-peninsula-indica.ces.iisc.ac.in/herbsheet.php?id=4518&cat=7
https://indiabiodiversity.org/species/show/259473

Yes, it is very close to Smithia blanda, thank you very much for ID my plant,

I don’t see a red patch on the petals in your sp.

You are right, dear … The red patches that mentioned by you is at neck which is not visible in my flower because, I think it is in the closing stage (time is 4.00pm).

249 Smithia blanda:
Some comments as my plant is Smithia venkobrowii Gamble, please check screenshots of kew website.

After going through the images of Smithia venkobrowii Gamble at POWO and of Smithia blanda Wall. ex Wight & Arn. at POWO, I still feel that your images at 249 ID wild plant. are correctly identified as Smithia blanda Wall. ex Wight & Arn.
Sharing more images.
Date: 23.09.2022, 01.10pm
Location: near Vannappuram Thodupuzha Idukki Dist. Kerala INDIA
4 images.

Thank you so much for your mail. In fact it is difficult to confirm the species from these pictures. More close to S. blanda. S. venkobarowii so far reported from few districts in Kerala only.

I think these appear to be different from your earlier images.
… can help with I’d.

This may be Smithia venkobrowii Gamble as at POWO

Thank you very much for ID my plant. This plant is same kind of my earlier plant images (that images captured in evening while flower closing) that growing in same location. Full foliage images also will be provided soon.

Sharing images …

We have to find out the difference between Smithia venkobrowii and S.blanda

Or description of both.

Identified as Smithia blanda as per discussions at Smithia blanda ?


Smithia blanda ?:
Location: near Vannappuram Thodupuzha Idukki Dist. Kerala INDIA, recently – from … in another post.

To me appears close to images at Smithia blanda

I don’t know

To further confirm, we have to find out the difference between Smithia venkobrowii and S.blanda or detailed description of both.
Comparing the descriptions of both from IBP: 

 Smithia blanda  Smithia venkobarowii
Tall, much branched sub-shrubs, lower stem prostrate; stem, petioles, rachis, leaf margins and midrib below long-bristly.
Leaflets 4-5 pairs, 1-2 x 0.5-0.8 cm, elliptic lanceolate, obtuse at apex with mucronate tip, ciliate on margins; rachis ending in a subulate bristle.

Racemes corymbose, axillary and terminal; bracts lanceolate, 0.5-0.7 cm.

Calyx 0.5 cm long, 2-lipped, upper large, emarginate, lower 3-lobed, ciliate on margins. Petals yellow, 1-1.3 cm long, wing petal with transverse scaly foldings. Pods 4-5 jointed folded and enclosed in the accrescent calyx. 

From Flora of China:
Shrublets, 40-60 cm tall. Stems densely golden setose. Stipules lanceolate, villous. Leaves 4-10-foliolate; petiolules less than 1 mm; leaflet blades oblong to obovate-lanceolate, 6-12 × 2.5-3 mm, papery, midvein setose, base oblique, margin setose, apex obtuse to rounded and with a spine like mucro. In­florescences axillary, scorpioid cymes, with flowers usually clustered at apical part; peduncle 1.5-4 cm, setose; bracts ovate-orbicular. Flowers ca. 1 cm. Pedicel 1-3 mm; bracteoles suborbicular, 2.5-3.5 mm, membranous. Corolla yellow; stan­dard orbicular, with short claw, base acuminate, apex cuneate to slightly emarginate; wings smaller than standard, with an auri­cle; keels ± as long as wings, with an auricle. Stamens diadel­phous. Ovary with trichomes; style filiform; stigma terminal. Legume a plicate loment, 2.5-3 mm wide, shortly stipitate, divided into 5 or 6 articles; articles with reticulate veins. Seeds not seen. Fl. Aug-Sep, fr. Sep-Oct.

 Erect subshrubs, to 70 cm high; stem white, yellowish villous.

Leaflets 2-4 pairs, 2-2.5 x 0.5 cm, oblong, obtuse, mucronate, glaucous beneath, glabrous, rachis hairy; stipules 12 mm long, 2-lobed at base; glabrous.

Racemes 2 cm across; congested; bracts deciduous; bracteoles 3 x 1.5 mm, obovate, bristled. Flowers few;
Calyx 7 mm long, lips similar, obtuse, sparsely ciliate; standard 1 cm across, yellow. Joints of pods 3 x 2.5 mm, orbicular, strongly reticulate, smooth, 5-7 together.
Going by the above details, I will go for S.blanda.

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References:

POWO images  The Plant List Ver. 1.1  ILDIS  Flora of China  FOC illustration  GBIF (with type specimen) India Biodiversity Portal (Smithia racemosa Heyne ex Wight & Arn.)  IUCN red List (LC)  Flora of Peninsular India

India Biodiversity Portal (Smithia blanda Wall. ex Wight & Arn. var. racemosa (Heyne ex Wight & Arn.) Baker)