Crotalaria luteopurpurea Dalavi, Ramesh, Basavaraj, Sanjappa & S.R.Yadav, 2025

Crotalaria luteopurpurea Dalavi, Ramesh, Basavaraj, Sanjappa & S.R.Yadav , sp. nov.

Fig. 1 View Fig

It is allied to C. bifaria L.f. ( Fig. 2 View Fig ) but differs in its habit (much branched vs. procumbent sparingly branched), leaves (lower leaves ovate to orbicular and upper ovate to oblong, less than 1.5 times longer than lower leaves vs. lower leaves orbicular to ovateand upper leaves elliptic-lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, 1.5–3 times longer than lower ones), peduncle (diffused, weak and creeping vs. erect to sub-erect) corolla (entirely blue on ventral surface side while standard yellow with brown veination on backside vs. bicolored ventral surface while standard bright yellow on both the surfaces and wings purple colored), standard (as long as or broader than long, blue inside vs. longer than broader and bright yellow inside), wings (blue with white shade near claw vs. purple with bright yellow near claw), and seeds (usually brown to black shiny rarely slightly blotched or mottled vs. faint brown, always distinctly blotched or mottled).

Type: INDIA, Karnataka, Bagalkot District, Badami , N 15° 55’ 42.7872’’, E 75° 41’ 35.2716’’, Badami Hills , 767 m, 31.12.2021, J.V. Dalavi, R. Pujar & B. Saliyavar BCV-001 ( holo CAL!, GoogleMaps iso BSI!, CAL!, SUK!). GoogleMaps

Annual diffuse herbs, 10–25 cm long. Stems slender, sparingly branched, thinly strigose to pubescent throughout. Leaves simple, dimorphic, lower leaves 0.5–2.5 × 0.4–2.5 cm, rounded, orbicular to broadly-ovate, obscurely wavy along margin, thinly hairy on both the surfaces, rounded at base, acute to rounded at apex, upper leaves 1–3 × 0.5–2 cm, ovate-oblong to elliptic-lanceolate to linear-oblong, sparsely hairy on both the surfaces, rounded at base, acute to obtuse at apex; petiole less than 5 mm long; stipules 4–8 × 2–5 mm, ovate, acute at apex, pubescent, slightly reflexed. Flowers terminal or axillary, solitary, rarely in pairs. Peduncle 2–5 cm, usually sub-erect to erect, finely pubescent. Flowers 2–3.5 cm long, bicolored inside; bracts 2, 3-5 mm, usually paired, cordate at base, acute at apex, pubescent; bracteoles minute; pedicel, 3–8 mm; calyx 1.0–1.3 × 1.0– 1.8 cm across, 5-lobed; lobes 0.8–1.3 × 0.1–0.3 cm, linearlanceolate, acute at apex, thinly strigose, slightly black blotched along the margins; standard petals ovate 1.2–2.0 × 1–1.6 cm, bright yellow on the inner surface, bright yellow with brown veination and finely hairy on dorsal surface; wing petals 8–12 × 4–7 mm, ovate, distinctly clawed, glabrous, dark purple with bright yellow nectar guides; keel petals 7–15 × 4–9 mm, boat-shaped, clawed, twisted at apex, white to variegated purple, with dark purple veins, pubescent along margins; stamens 10, pin-headed ones=to or slightly longer than arrow headed in mature flower; while arrow headed stamens are longer than pin headed in buds; carpel 4 – 9 mm, ovary elongated, 2–3 × 1–2 mm, hairy; style 4–6 mm long, ‘L’ shaped, feathery; stigma minute. Pods 1.5–2 × 0.6–1 cm, oblong, finely strigose, black to brown blotched; ovules 6–12; seeds 4–10, 1.5–2.2 × 1.0– 2 mm, orbicular to kidney-shaped, usually faintly brown with black blotches or mottled, rarely black shiny with white strophiole.

Flowering and fruiting: Flowering from October to January; fruiting from December to February.

Habitat: Grows on loose sandy soils in and around cultivated fields on hill tops (plateaus) in association with Crotalaria bifaria L.f., Eleiotis rottleri Wight & Arn. , E. sororia (L.)DC., Indigofera arnottii (Kuntze) Peter G.Wilson , Rothia indica (L.) Druce, (All Fabaceae ) Trachys muricata (L.) Pers. ex Trin. ( Poaceae ).

Etymology: The specific epithet ‘ luteopurpurea’ is derived from color of the corolla, standard bright yellow (latin luteo = yellow) and purple wing and keel petals (latin purpurea = purple).

Distribution: India, Karnataka, (Bagalkot District-Badami; Gadag-Bommasagara).

Conservation status: Presently it is known from small hillocks of Northern Karnataka, in Badami hills (Bagalkot District) and Bommasagara (Gadag District). Extensive field surveys are needed to evaluate the status of populations and individuals, hence assessed here as Data Deficient (DD).

Additional specimens examined: Bagalkot District, Badami plateau , 15° 55’ 45.97” N, 75° 42’ 20.37” E, 651 m, 30.12.2021, M. Sanjappa, A.N.Sringeswara & Mahadeva Murthy 105 ( UASB!) GoogleMaps

Notes: This species grows on open sandy soils in and around cultivated fields of plateaus where more than 40 species of legumes were collected ( Dalavi et al., 2021). Many of them are habitatspecific. It is highly likely that C. luteopurpurea occurs in similar habitats of Deccan plateau. Cooke (1903) also collected the same plant from Badami which he identified as C. bifaria . In the protologue of C. bifaria L.f. ( Linnaeus, 1781), it is clearly mentioned that the ‘corolla caerulescentes’, with upper leaves ovate and lower orbicular, unlike the species described here, which has a bright yellow standard and purple wings with basal yellow pollinator guides. However, there are chances of confusion on the identity of all the allied species when flowers are closed they have similar patterns on the back of standard this but, when flowers bloom, this new species can be easily distinguished with the combination of characters given in the key below.