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Desmodium pulchellum
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Family:
FABACEAE/LEGUMINOSAE (Subfam.: Papilionoideae)
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Citation: Desmodium pulchellum (L.) Benth., Fl. Hongk. 83. 1861; Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India 2: 162. 1876; Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras 344(243). 1918; Mohanan, Fl. Quilon Dist. 149. 1984; Sanjappa, Legumes Ind. 160. 1992; M. Mohanan & Henry, Fl. Thiruvanthapuram 148. 1994; Subram., Fl. Thenmala Div. 102. 1995; Sasidh. & Sivar., Fl. Pl. Thrissur For. 140. 1996; Sasidh., Fl. Shenduruny WLS 94. 1997; Ramach. & V.J. Nair, Fl. Cannanore Dist. 139. 1988; Vajr., Fl. Palghat Dist. 158. 1990; Sasidh. et al., Bot. Stud. Med. Pl. Kerala 10,17. 1996; Sivar. & Mathew, Fl. Nilambur 195. 1997; Sasidh., Fl. Periyar Tiger Reserve 101. 1998; Sasidh., Fl. Chinnar WLS 94. 1999; Anil Kumar et al., Fl. Pathanamthitta 175. 2005; Sunil & Sivadasan, Fl. Alappuzha Dist. 220. 2009; Ratheesh Narayanan, Fl. Stud. Wayanad Dist. 286. 2009.
Hedysarum pulchellum L., Sp. Pl. 747. 1753.
Phyllodium pulchellum (L.) Desv., J. Bot. ser. 2, 1: 124. 1813; Mohanan & Sivad., Fl. Agasthyamala 215. 2002.
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Malayalam Name(s):
Cherupachotti, Kattumuthira
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Tamil name(s):
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English name(s):
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Description:
Undershrubs or shrubs up to 2 m tall; branchlets downy-pubescent. Leaves 3-foliolate; leaflets 2.5-11 x 2-5 cm, ovate, elliptic or ovate-oblong, apex obtuse or subacute, base subacute, margins wavy, glabrescent and subrugose above, finely downy and pale beneath, thin-coriaceous, lateral less than half as long as the terminal, inequilateral; petiole to 2 cm long; stipules c. 5 mm long, ovate. Racemes terminal or axillary, 7-16 cm long; primary bracts 10-18, leafy, 1.2-1.5 x 1.2-1.5 cm, orbicular, each enclosing 1-5 flowers, stipellate; secondary bracts c. 1 mm long, ovate; bracteoles to 2 mm long. Calyx c. 2 mm long, puberulous, teeth lanceolate. Petals yellowish; standard 4-5 mm long, obovate; wings c. 4 mm long, elliptic. Pods 4-6 x 3-4 mm, indented on both sutures, sessile; joints usually 2, slightly longer than broad, pubescent; seeds orbicular.
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Habit:
Shrub
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Flowering & Fruiting:
September-February
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District(s):
All Districts
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Medicinal:
Yes
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Habitat:
Moist deciduous forests
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Distribution:
Tropical Asia and Australia
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Aquatic:
No
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Epiphyte(s):
No
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Saprophyte:
No
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Stem parasite:
No
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Root parasite:
No
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Flower colour(s):
Yellow
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Weed:
No
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Monocot/Dicot:
Dicotyledonous Plants
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Exotic:
No
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Garden:
No
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Edible:
No
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Vegetable:
No
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Endemic to:
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IUCN status:
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Altitude:
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Localities:
Peechi, Kattalappara, Kulathupuzha, Alampetty, Karadikkavala, Thunakkadavu, Ranni, Begur, Chitoor-Agali area, Mathur-Kollenkode area, Boneccord, Angadikkal, Kanjirakadavu, Thenmalai, Ariankavu, Kulathupuzha, Bonaccord, Karamanayar region
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