Dactylicapnos torulosa

Dactylicapnos torulosa (Hook.f. & Thomson) Hutch., Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1921: 104 1921. (syn: Capnorchis torulosa Kuntze; Corydalis erythrocarpa H.Lév.; Dactylicapnos wolfdietheri Fedde; Dicentra torulosa Hook.fil. & Thomson; Dicentra torulosa var. yunnanensis Fedde);

China (W-Guizhou, SW-Sichuan, Yunnan), SE-Tibet, India (Arunachal P.,
Meghalaya), Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar [Burma] as per Catalogue of Life;

Trailing stout or climbing herbs, about 2-3 m long. Stems weak slender, angular, grooved, glabrous, whitish green or yellowish green. Leaves bi-ternately compound, exstipulate, about 5-10 cm long, petiole about 0.5-1.5 cm long, leaflets ovate-obovate to linear lanceolate, about 10-20 x 5-10 mm across, base cuneate, margin entire, apex acute, terminal leaflet larger, ovate, ovate spathulate, elliptic, base cuneate, margin entire, apex acute or obtuse with mucronate tip, lateral veins 3-5 on either side of the midrib, rather indistinct, first or lowest pair almost near the base, petiolules slender, grooved, about 4-9 mm long, terminal leaflets usually replaced with the branched tendrils. Inflorescence raceme corymb, subumbels, about 6-8 flowered, peduncle slender, about 1-2 cm, bracts linear lanceolate, about 5-10 mm long. Flowers bisexual, leaf opposed, cylindrical, golden yellow, apex dark yellow with brownish purple spots, about 1.5-2 cm long, pedicels about 7-15 mm long, bracteoles rudimentary at the base, sepals 2, linear subulate, margins lacerate, scale like, apex acuminate, about 2 mm long, petals linear, faintly reflexed, outer petals oblong, concave, base saccate, apex acute, inner petals keeled, slightly clawed at the base, apex cohering. Stamens 6 in 2 bundles, each bundle 2 loculed, later anthers one loculed, base expanded into 1-2 nectary glands, enclosed by swollen base of outer petal. Ovary linear or elongate, unilocular, ovules few to many, style slender, stigmas flattened somewhat square shaped. Fruits capsules, pod like linear, torulose with persistant narrow style or with segmentation, ellipsoid-obovoid, grooved, dehiscing by 2 valves in upper part, with persistent placentae and style, about 5-5 x 0.2-0.5 cm across. Seeds many uniseriate, compressed, striated, strophiolate at the base, beaked with bilobed aril, granulate, opaque, dark brown, about 1-1.5 mm long.

Subtropical to temperate forests, altitude 1000-2300 m.

(Attributions- Ganeshaiah, K. N., UAS, Bangalore, India.; Kailash, B. R., ATREE, Bangalore, India.; Royal Norwegian Embassy grants. Indian Bioresource Information Network (IBIN), Department of Biotechnology, New Delhi as per India Biodiversity Portal)