Crotalaria uncinella Lam. subsp. elliptica (Roxb.) Polhill (1971: 284)

Nandikar, Mayur D., Kishor, K. C. & Malpure, Nilesh V., 2018, On the occurrence of Crotalaria uncinella subsp. elliptica (Fabaceae) in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India, Phytotaxa 379 (1), pp. 73-77 : 74-75

Crotalaria uncinella Lam. subsp. elliptica (Roxb.) Polhill (1971: 284)

= Crotalaria elliptica Roxb. ( Roxburgh 1832: 284) Fig. 1 , 2

Lectotype (designated here):—[icon] “ Crotalaria elliptica ” in Icones Roxburghianae No. 1888 ( K!) [http://apps.kew.org/floraindica/ searchOptions.do;jsessionid= 0CA8CCD9783AA26738D6936CE62548B5]

Erect, suffrutescent, annual herb, up to 1 m high. Stems terete, fractiflex, young branches straminaceous, puberulous, old branches glabrous; internodes 0.5 × 6 cm long. Stipules inconspicuous, deciduous, triangular–ovate, ca. 1 × 1 mm, sericeous to pubescent without, glabrous within. Leaves trifoliate, alternate; petiole 1–2.8 cm long, pubescent; leaflets stalked, stalk 1–2 mm long, pubescent; lamina obovate, 1.5–2.5 × 1.0– 1.4 cm; base acute, apex retuse with small mucronate projection; margin entire; veins, alternate, 3–4, brochidodromous; abaxial surface characteristically white, velutinous, adaxial glabrous. Inflorescence a terminal and axillary raceme of 20 to 30 flowers on 5–10 (–12) cm long, pubescent peduncule. Flowers bracteate, bract ovate-lanceolate, ca. 1 × 1 mm, pubescent without, glabrous within; pedicel ca. 4 mm long, pubescent, reflexed downwards; calyx 5–lobed, bi-lipped, upper lip with two lobes, lower with three sepal lobes; sepal lobes ovate, 2.5 mm long, except lower, medial one (lanceolate, acuminate, 3 mm long), basally connate, apex-acute, pubescent without, glabrous within at base; corolla exerted from the calyx; standard orbicular, ca. 5 × 5 mm, venulose, lemon yellow to ochre-yellow, claw inconspicuous, with ca. 2 mm long, paired callosities; alae oblong, ca. 6 × 3 mm, venulose, claw 2 mm, lemon-yellow; keel cucullate, conduplicate, ca. 6 × 5 mm, apex attenuate, strongly rounded on lower part, claw ciliate, ca. 1 mm continued in a small alae like 1 mm projections, half of the upper margin ciliate, otherwise glabrous; staminal sheath ca. 7 mm long; filaments 3.5–4 mm long; anthers dimorphic, shorter globular, longer ellipsoid; ovary stalked, ellipsoid to globular, pilose; style ca. 5 mm long, geniculate, sparsely pilose; stigma incospicuous; ovule 2 per fruit. Pods globular-ellipsoid to oblate, ca. 8 × 5 mm, densely to sparsely sericeous, apiculate; seeds two, ellipsoid to slightly obreniform, ca. 1.5 × 1 mm. ( Figure 1 & 2 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Crotalaria uncinella subsp. elliptica: A. habitat from Saddle Peak National Park, B. inflorescence, C. infructescence (Photographs: Mayur Nandikar).

FIGURE 2. Crotalaria uncinella subsp. elliptica: A. flowering twig B. calyx, C. standard, D. alae, E. keel, F. legume, G. stamens, H. pistil (Illustration: Mayur Nandikar).