Common name: Orange Tephrosia, Orange Hoary Pea • Marathi: केशरी उन्हाली Keshari Unhali • Kannada: Batteharaku gida
Botanical name: Tephrosia tinctoria Family: Fabaceae (Pea family) Synonyms: Galega tinctoria, Cracca tinctoria, Tephrosia pulcherrima
Orange Tephrosia is a perennial undershrub, found growing
among bushes in rocky place. The branches are angular, with yellow-brown
hairs. Alternate arranged leaves are compound, ovate-lance-like or
ovate-triangular. Leaflets are 3-5 or sometimes, solitary, each 3-9 x
11.2-2.5 cm, terminal leaflet larger, oblong or obovate, apex rounded,
mucronate, base rounded. Orange flowers occur in racemes of few flowers,
in leaf axil or at the end of branches. The peduncle carrying the raceme
is to 6 cm long, longer than leaflets, yellow-hairy. Sepals are united
united below in a tube, and are separated into 5 linear sepals, longer
than tube. Petals 5, free, 1-1.2 cm long ; standard petal hairy without.
Flowering: October.
| Photographed at Kas Plateau |
Identification credit: Pravin Kawale
|