Indigofera bracteata

Indigofera bracteata Baker;

Bhutan (N) ; China (N) ; Xizang Zizhiqu; India (N); Arunachal Pradesh ; Meghalaya ; Sikkim; Nepal (N) as per ILDIS;

Similar to I. hebepetala but stems prostrate or trailing; leaves 4-9cm, leaflets 5-7, elliptic or obovate, 1-3 x 0.5-1.2cm, obtuse, base cuneate, glabrous or weakly appressed pubescent on upper surface, more strongly appressed pubescent beneath; stipules subulate 2-3mm, ± persistent; racemes 7-20cm bearing flowers in upper half of rachis, naked below, bracts elliptic 4-6 x 2mm; calyx 2mm, teeth short and broad; petals purple, standard broadly elliptic, 10 x 6mm, wings and keel 10 x 2.5mm; pods (immature) linear, glabrous, deflexed.

Fl. July

Unlocalized. 2800m.

(Attributions- A.C.J Grierson & D.G Long. Flora of Bhutan. Published by RBGE. 1987 from Bhutan Biodiversity Portal)

SK1965 02 June 2019 : 2 posts by 2 authors. Attachments (11)- around 650 kb each.

Location: Chandragiri, Kathmandu, Nepal

Altitude: 2543 m.

Date: 27 May 2019

Habit : Wild

Looks like Indigofera sp but not the I. exillis. Maximum 7 foliate.

Last year post link !

SK1304 20 JUL 2018

On checking with keys in flora of Bhutan lead me to Indigofera bracteata Graham ex Baker. It matches as per description given herein as below:

“14. I. bracteata Baker
Similar to 1. hebeperala but stems prostrate or trailing; leaves 4-9cm, leaflets 5-7, elliptic or obovate, l—3><0.5—l.2cm, obtuse, base cuneate, glabrous or weakly appressed pubescent on upper surface, more strongly appressed pubescent beneath; stipules subulate 2—3mm, i persistent; racemes 7—20cm bearing flowers in upper half of rachis, naked below, bracts elliptic 4-6>< 2mm ; calyx c 2mm, teeth short and broad; petals purple, standard broadly elliptic, c 10><6mm, wings and keel c 10><2.5mm; pods
(immature) linear, glabrous, deflexed.
Bhutan/Chumbi frontier: Sharna to Choidiponkay; Sikkim. 2800m. July.”

It also matches with the description given in Flora of China and as per FOC illustration along with specimens in GBIF. Also see Checklist of Nepal.

Could not find any image on net.

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SK1304 20 JUL 2018 : 6 posts by 2 authors. Attachments (8)- around 600 kb each.

Location : Chandragiri Hills, Kathmandu, Nepal

Elevation : 8200 ft.
Date : 28 June 2018

Habit : Wild

Which Desmodium is this?

I do not think it matches with D. heterophyllum !

Comparative images available at

/species/a—l/f/fabaceae/desmodium

Which Fabaceae could it be with 7 leaves ?

Also check

/species/a—l/f/fabaceae/indigofera

Closest I can go as per comparative images at Indigofera ‎is Indigofera exilis Grierson & D.G.Long

Maximum number of leaflets in this sp. is 7 only whereas 13-21 in I. exiiis according to IBP.

Indigofera exilis Grierson & D.G.Long | Species | India Biodiversity Portal https://indiabiodiversity.org/species/show/230024

Yes, looks different from Indigofera exilis

Pl. check with other species at Indigofera‎

I checked but no clue !

It seems to me Indigofera exilis. Recently I have also found this plant growing in Shillong and near by area. Kindly see the attached pics. Kindly confirm. We have also checked it for its nodulation. Root nodules are indeterminate type. I request all the members of efloraindia to kindly check nodulation status of the legumes they found in filed. Just uproot and see if root nodules re present or not. If spherical or round it is called determinate or if elongated, in bunches, branched then it is indeterminate type.

Attachments (3)

Thank you for the clarification. Only confusion is it has 7 leaflets only. I have checked the plant carefully this year also and no more than 7 leaflets whereasnet images showing more than 7 leaflets , up to 21 leaflets which is matching to

Indigofera exilis Grierson & D.G.Long | Species | India Biodiversity Portalhttps://indiabiodiversity.org/species/show/230024.

An another remarkable factor is that this plant is not as tall as described and almost spreading to the ground.

Could it be some var . of I.exilis ??

It could be due to difference in climate, altitude, precipitation etc. Leaves in leaflets can be variable. Other characters like pod its size, seeds etc can be considered for varietal differences.

Any specific elevation range sir?

Indigofera exilis is stated to have 13–21-foliolate as per India Biodiversity Portal and same is also reflected in GIBF specimens.

Bhutan Biodiversity Portal says leaflets leaflets 15-23.

I am sending specimen to BSI Shillong. Dr. Mao is incharge. One of the scholar will visit BSI, Shillong for identification. Prof. Pandey, Delhi University is revising genera Indigofera and their students visited north-eastern Indian for sample collection.

Indigofera bracteata Graham ex Baker as per feedback in SK1965 02 June 2019