Flemingia gracilis (Mukerjee) Ali

1. Flemingia gracilis (Mukerjee) Ali View in CoL — Fig. 4 View Fig , 5 View Fig

Flemingia gracilis (Mukerjee) Ali (1966) View in CoL 78. — Maughania gracilis Mukerjee View in CoL (as Moghania ) (1953) 22. — Lepidocoma gracilis (Mukerjee) M.R. Almeida (1998) View in CoL 103. — Type: Bell 4347 (lecto, here designated, BLAT (accession number 89413)), India, Karnataka,Uttar Kannada,Castle rock, Sept.1918).

Etymology. The specific epithet ‘ gracilis ’ refers to its slender stem.

Decumbent herbs, 20–30 cm long with branched stem; roots tuberous, ovoid, elongate, 1–2 in cluster; underground. Stems 1.5–2 mm diam, terete, sparsely hairy with brown silky antrorse hairs, gland-dotted. Leaves 2–6.5 cm long; stipules 2, 5–6 by 3–4 mm, ovate, acute, fused, basifixed, caducous, many-nerved, gland-dotted, densely hairy; hairs antrorse; petioles 1.5–6 cm long, hairy, gland-dotted. Leaflets 1.5–2.2 by 1–1.2 cm, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, middle leaflet cuneate at base, lateral leaflets asymmetrical or oblique at base, hairy on adaxial surface, abaxially gland-dotted, margin ciliate; glands orange-red; petiolules 1–2 mm long, hairy. Inflorescences terminal heads, 3–8-flowered; peduncles 0.5–5 cm long. Flowers 1.2–1.3 cm long, pedicellate, bracteate; pedicel 1–2 mm long, hairy; bracts 4–5 by 2.5–3 mm, ovate, acute, caducous, many-nerved, gland-dotted, densely hairy; hairs antrorse. Calyx 6–7 mm long, hairy, gland-dotted on outer surface, hairs antrorse; calyx tube 2.5–3 mm long, campanulate, hairy, gland-dotted; calyx teeth 5, equal, 3–4 by 1–1.5 mm, lanceolate, acute, connate for 1/2 of their length, many-nerved. Corolla purple; standard 11–12 by 9–10 mm, obovate, retuse at apex, clawed with 2 auricles at base, hairy, gland-dotted on outer surface towards apex; claw 2 mm long; auricles ≤ 1 mm long; wings 9–10 by 4–4.5 mm, oblong, hairy with claw and auricle; gland-dotted on outer surface; claw 4 mm long, auricles < 1 mm long; keel petals 7–7.5 by 2–2.5 cm, slightly falcate, with claw and auricle, hairy, gland-dotted on outer surface, fused for half of its length at lower side; claw 4 mm long, auricle less than 1 mm. Stamens 10, diadelphous (9+1); staminal tube 7–7.5 by 1–1.5 mm; anthers uniform, less than 1 mm, basifixed; filaments of united stamens 2.5–3 mm long, that of free stamen 6–7 mm long. Ovary 1.8 by 1 mm, sub-sessile, hairy, gland-dotted; ovules 1–2; style 6–7 mm long, glabrous, swollen at middle; stigma capitate, hairy. Fruit a pod, 6–7 by 4–4.5 mm, 1-seeded, included within the calyx, beaked, turgid, glabrous; beak less than 1 mm long. Seeds 3 by 2 by 2 mm, brown, ellipsoid, hilum less than 1 mm long, position ± central.

Flowering & Fruiting — September to October.

Distribution — Maharashtra, Karnataka; endemic.

Habitat & Ecology — Flemingia gracilis grows on high altitude plateaus of northern Western Ghats of Maharashtra and Karnataka. It occupies rocky crevices and plains at an altitude of c. 800–1300 m asl. It grows in association with Crinum spp. , Indigofera dalzellii T.Cooke , Lepidagathis clavata Dalzell , Merremia rhynchorrhiza Hallier f., Rhamphicarpa longiflora Benth. , Rotala densiflora (Roth) Koehne , R. malampuzhensis R.V.Nair ex C.D.K.Cook , Senecio bombayensis N.P.Balakr. , Smithia hirsuta Dalzell , Strobilanthes sessilis Nees and Utricularia purpurascens J.Graham.

Additional specimens examined. INDIA, Karnataka, Belgaum District, Sada plateau, 14 Oct. 2016, Gavade & Lekhak 147 ( SUK) . – Maharashtra, Kolhapur District, Morjai Plateau , 27 July 2008, Lekhak 114 ( SUK) ; ibid., 2 Aug. 2015, Gavade 85 ( SUK) ; ibid., 18 Oct. 2015, Gavade 108 ( SUK) ; Pune District, Khandala, Echo point, 14 Sept. 1942, Santapau 949 ( BLAT, DD) ; Lonavla, Sakarpathat Plateau , 29 Sept. 1964, Reddi 100923 ( BSI) ; Raigad District, Matheran, Porcupine point, 24 Sept. 1976, Kothari 147387 ( BSI) ; Ratnagiri District, Gothane plateau, Nalawade & Gurav s.n. ( SUK) ; ibid., 20 Oct. 2014, S.K. Gavade s.n. ( SUK) ; Satara District, Chalkewadi plateau, 17 Aug. 2010, Lekhak 330 ( SUK) ; 7 Oct. 2014, Gavade & Joshi 3 ( SUK) ; near Kas village , 26 Sept. 2015, Gavade 103 ( SUK) ; Sindhudurg District, Amboli, Chaukul Road , 12 Aug. 1971, Kulkarni 131606 ( BSD) .

Nomenclatural notes — Mukerjee (1953) described F. gracilis based on the collections made by Bell and Santapau. He clearly mentioned that the type specimen ‘ Bell 4347 ’ is housed at CAL. However, we could not trace the type at CAL. A du- plicate ( isotype) of the type ‘ Bell 4347’ was located at BLAT. In the absence of the holotype this has been designated as lectotype here.