43. PAPIZIONACE^. [36. Desmodium. 

 36. Desmodium, Desv. 



Herbs or shrubs with pinnately 1-3-foliolate stipellate 

 leaves, dry usually striate stipules and small white yellow or 

 usually red. flowers in umbels, fascicles, racemes, or panicles. 

 Corolla exsert with broad standard and wings more or less 

 adnate to the keel. Upper stamen connate with the others 

 or free. Style incurved. Stigma minute capitate. Pod 

 crenate at one or both sutures, ultimately dividing into one- 

 seeded joints at the indentations, or in one section continu- 

 ously dehiscent along the indented suture. 



A genus well represented in Chota Nagpnr. The following key ia 

 taken almost Teroatim from Prain's u Bengal Planta." 



I. Pods breaking up into 1-seeded joints. 



A. Leaves trifoliate . 



a. Stems diffuse, prostrate 



1. Lflts. not exceeding %". 

 Stems slender trailing. 



Fls. 1-3 axillary . . . .1. trijiorum. 

 Fls. 6-10 in lax racemes . . 2. parvifloi'um. 



2. Lflts. 2-3". Stems stout Fls. 



racemed and panicled ... 3. diffusum. 



b. Stems erect or sub-erect. 



1. Eacemes with large 2-foliolate 



f cliaceous bracts .... 4. pulchellum. 



2. Bracts small simple deciduous 



t Fls. in short-peduncled axillary 



umbels. Shrub ... 5. Cephalotes. 

 ft Fls. in more or less elongate 

 racemes. 



Joints of pod dehiscent, not longer 

 than broad 6. polycarpurrt 



Joints of pod indehiscc-it, muoh 

 longer than broad ... 7. laxiflorum. 



B. Leaves 1-foliolate. 



a. Stems diffuse (or erect in Chota Nagpnr). 



L. rounded cordate. Eacemes dense . 8. brachystachyum. 



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