Indigofera santapaui Sanjappa (1983a: 202–203)

Chauhan, Vibha & Pandey, Arun K., 2015, A revision of trifoliolate Indigofera (Tribe Indigofereae: Fabaceae) in India, Phytotaxa 220 (1), pp. 1-29 : 20

7. Indigofera santapaui Sanjappa (1983a: 202–203) .

Type:— INDIA. Maharashtra: Pune Dist., Vazirghad-Purandhar, H. Santapau 11397, 9 October 1950 (holotype BLAT!, Paratype: H. Santapau 5339, H. Santapau 7174, BLAT!).

Herb, 15–35 cm high; branches slender, reddish, biramous hairs adpressed with short, equal arms. Leaves pinnately trifoliolate; stipules 2.5–3 x 1 mm, narrowly triangular, hairy; petioles 1–2 cm long, somewhat canaliculate above, hairy; stipullae absent; petiolules c. 2 mm long, hairy; leaflets 2.5–4 x 1.2–1.8 cm, obovate to obovate-oblong, cuneate at base rounded and mucronate at apex, sparsely adpressed pubescent on both surfaces, sparsely brown gland-dotted beneath. Racemes 4–8 mm long, axillary, sessile; rachis pubescent, 6–12-flowered. Flowers solomon red, c. 5 mm long; bracts c. 1 x 0.4 mm, triangular, caducous; pedicels 1–1.5 mm long. Calyx adpressed pubescent and gland-dotted outside, cup c. 0.5 mm long, teeth c. 1.5 mm long, narrowly triangular. Standard c. 4 x 2.5 mm, obovate, mucronate, adpressed strigose and gland-dotted on the back; wing petals c. 2.5 x 1 mm, glabrous; keel petals 4 x 1.5 mm, adpressed strigose and gland-dotted outside, lateral spur c. 0.6 mm long. Staminal sheath 3–3.5 mm long; anthers c. 0.5 mm long. Ovary 1.5–2 mm long, sparsely hairy, 4-ovuled; style 1–1.5 mm long, glabrous, beset with glands at base. Pods 10–20 x 2.5–3 mm, deflexed, straight, subcylindric, shallowly constricted between seeds, shortly apiculate, biramous hairs densely spreading with unequal arms, beset with glands towards the tip, 4-seeded; sutures obscurely winged. Seeds c. 1.5 x 1 mm, rounded at ends, smooth, shiny, reddish-brown.

Phenology:— Fls. August–October; Frts. September–November

Distribution:— INDIA: Maharashtra; endemic.

Habitat:— Exposed hill slopes at an altitude of c. 1500 m.

Specimen examined:— So far known by type collections only.