Botanical name: Brachystelma shrirangii    Family: Apocynaceae (Oleander family)

Shrirang's Cage-Flower is a tuberous perennial, erect herb, quite similar to Kolar Cage-Flower. It is named for Shrirang Yadav of Shivaji University, Kolhapur, a well known botanist. Stems are solitary from individual tubers, erect, 7-10 cm tall, 0.1-0.2 cm in diameter, rough, green while flowering, turning pinkish red at fruiting; internodes 1.5-7.5 cm long. Leaves are stalkless, reduced, opposite-decussate, linear-lanceshaped, 2-4 long, about 6 mm broad, ciliolate at margins, rough above, hairless otherwise. Flowers are borne in a simple cyme. Flowers are 1 or 2 per node, erect; bract solitary, linear, about 2 mm long, hairless; flower-stalk 2-5 mm long, finely velvet-hairy with translucent hairs. Calyx 5-partite; sepals linear-subulate, 1-1.5 mm long, hairy with translucent hairs. Flowers are 0.8-1.5 cm long; petals divided up to base, linear to lanceshaped, fused at tip to form conical cage, hairless in summer season, hairy in rainy season at margins, reflexed along margins, deep brown inside, green to deep brown outside with purple spots at base. Seed-pods are paired, rarely solitary, 5-10 cm long, broad at base, pointed at tip, hairless, pinkish red. Seeds are 0.7-1 cm long, elongated, shallowly winged along margin; coma 5-7 mm long, silky white. Shrirang's Cage-Flower is endemic to Karnataka and Maharashtra. Flowering: March-August.

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The flower labeled Shrirang's Cage-Flower is ...