Common name: American Joint Vetch, Common Aeschynomene, Deervetch, Shyleaf • Hindi: सोल घास sol ghas, सोली soli • Tamil: நெட்டி netti
Botanical name: Aeschynomene americana Family: Fabaceae (Pea family)
American Joint Vetch is an upright herb, 1-2 m tall, which is a short-lived
perennial. Stems are hairless, upper sections hairy, usually glandular.
Leaves 3-7 cm long. Leaflets 8-38 pairs, 5-15 mm long, 1-2 mm wide, linear
or linear to oblong, sensitive, folding together when touched. Stipules
persistent, linear-lanceolate, 1-2 cm long. Inflorescence is a loose, often
branched, few-flowered raceme. Sepal tube is about 4 mm long, deeply
two-lipped. Flowers vary in color from white tinged with mauve or light
violet to purple to flesh colored, sometimes pinkish orange, 0.6-1 cm long.
Pod usually slightly curved, four to eight jointed, up to 4 cm long, the
upper margin entire, the lower deeply indented at each segment joint; each
segment one-seeded; semi-circular, about 4 mm long. Seeds grey-green to
dark and light brown.
Identification credit: Dinesh Valke
| Photographed at Kharghar Hills, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra. |
|
aturalized