Dalbergia sericea - Silky Dalbergia

Silky Dalbergia is a medium to large-sized trees, 40-60 m tall; trunk up to 2 m. Young shoots are silky-velvety. Leaves are imparipinnate, alternate, 14-22 cm long. Leaflets are 13-21, alternate, ovate-oblong, 1.5-4.2 x 1.4-2.3 cm, obtuse-wedge-shaped at base, obtuse-retuse with a minute mucro at tip, papery, densely adpressed silky-hairy, hairless with age. Flowers are borne in silky-hairy, dense-flowered panicles, 3-4 cm long, in leaf axils. Stalk carrying the panicle is 1.5 cm long. Flowersare about 5 mm long, white, tinged with blue. Flower-stalks are 2-3 mm long, velvety. Sepal cup is bell-shaped, densely silky-hairy outside - tube is about 1 mm long, 5-lobed; upper 2 lobes fused at base up to 3/4th; lateral lobes ovate, about 1 x 1 mm, subacute; lowest lobe lanceolate, about 1.5 mm long. Standard petal is circular, about 4.5 mm, thickened near claw; claw about 1 mm long; wings are oblong, 3 x 1.25 mm, shortly eared claw about 1.25 mm long, slender. Stamens are 10, ovary oblong, 3 x 1 mm, silky-hairy. Pods are elliptic-oblong or oblong, 2.2-6 x 0.5-0.7 cm, acute-obtuse at tip, tapering towards base into a 3-4 mm long slender stalk, flat, glabrous, reticulately nerved especially on seed portion. Silky Dalbergia is found along slopes of mountains at 1400-1600 m, in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam,Meghalaya, Rajasthan (Mt. Abu), Sikkim, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Bhutan and Nepal. Flowering: February-April.