Red Moneywort

Erect, stem 30-61 cm long, glabrous except for decurrent line of hairs. Leaves stipulate, unifoliolate, stipule almost encircling the stem, scarious, 6-11 mm long, petiole c. 3-6 mm long. Leaflet 2.5-7.5 cm long, 9-2.5 cm broad, usually oblong, rarely orbicular or linear-lanceolate, obtuse, apiculate, glabrous above, appressly hairy below, base often cordate; petiolules c. 1 mm long, stipels 1.5 mm long. Inflorescence simple or branched raceme, up to 16 cm long. Bracts 5-8 mm long, chaffy. Pedicel 3-4 mm long. Calyx 6-9 mm long, deeply divided, teeth lanceolate, imbricate, minutely ciliate. Pods moniliform, 3-6 jointed, included or as long as the calyx, broader than long, transversely ribbed, glabrous.

Tropical Africa, Madagascar, Himalaya, India, Ceylon, S.E. Asia, Malaysia, China, Australia (Queensland).

Distribution: Pakistan; India (Punjab, U.P., Bombay, Madras, Bengal, Assam, Central Province); Tropical Africa, Madagascar, Burma, Cambodia; Vietnam; Thailand.

200-1200 m

Fl.Per.: August.

Perennial, Herbs, Taproot present, Nodules present, Stems erect or ascending, Stems less than 1 m tall, Stems solid, Stems or young twigs glabrous or sparsely glabrate, Stems or young twigs sparsely to densely hairy, Leaves alternate, Leaves petiolate, Stipules conspicuous, Stipules membranous or chartaceous, Stipules persistent, Stipules deciduous, Stipules free, Leaves simple, or appearing so, Leaf or leaflet margins entire, Leaflets 1, Leaves glabrous or nearly so, Leaves hairy on one or both surfaces, Flowers in axillary clusters or few-floweredracemes, 2-6 flowers, Inflorescences racemes, Inflorescence axillary, Inflorescence terminal, Inflorescence or flowers lax, declined or pendulous, Bracts very small, absent or caducous, Flowers zygomorphic, Calyx 5-lobed, Calyx glabrous, Calyx hairy, Petals separate, Corolla papilionaceous, Petals clawed, Petals orange or yellow, Banner petal ovoid or obovate, Banner petal suborbicular, broadly rounded, Wing petals narrow, oblanceolate to oblong, Wing tips obtuse or rounded, Keel petals auriculate, spurred, or gibbous, Keel petals fused on sides or at tip, Stamens 9-10, Stamens diadelphous, 9 united, 1 free, Filaments glabrous, Style terete, Fruit a legume, Fruit a loment, jointed, separating into articles, Fruit unilocular, Fruit indehiscent, Fruit elongate, straight, Fruit coriaceous or becoming woody, Fruit exserted from calyx, Fruit compressed between seeds, Fruit torulose or moniliform, strongly constricted between seeds, Fruit hairy, Fruit 3-10 seeded, Seeds ovoid to rounded in outline, Seed surface wrinkled or rugose, Seeds olive, brown, or black.