Red Himalayan Flemingia is a perennial herb with
tuberous root. Stems are prostrate, up to 2 ft, densely velvet-hairy.
Flowers are borne in racemes in leaf-axils or at branch-ends, 2-10 cm,
densely velvet-hairy; bracts lanceshaped, about 5 mm, striped. Flowers
are bright red, clustered; flower-stalk about 1 mm. Calyx 5-lobed;
lobes linear-lanceshaped, lower one longest, longer than tube. Flowers
are slightly longer than calyx; standard elliptic, base with claw and
ears at 2 sides; wings narrowly oblong, base with claw and ear at one
side; keels sickle shaped, clawed. Leaves are digitately 3-foliolate;
stipules ovate, 4-8 mm, persistent; leaf-stalk 1-2 cm, wingless,
velvet-hairy; leaflet-stalks short, densely hairy; leaflets papery; end
leaflet oblong or nearly obovate, 1-5 x 0.5-2.5 cm, both surfaces
sparsely velvet-hairy or almost hairless, lower surface with dense dark
red glands. Legume elliptic, about 5 × 4 mm, sparsely shortly hairy and
black glandular. Red Himalayan Flemingia is found in the Himalayas,
from Kumaun to Nepal, NE India, at altitudes of 2100-2900 m. Flowering:
August-September.
Medicinal uses: The juice of roots is used as
an anthelmintic, for dysentery and stomachache. Outer skin of tubers is
used as anthelmintic and fish poison.
Identification credit: Ashutosh Sharma
Photographed near Barot, Himachal Pradesh.
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The flower labeled Red Himalayan Flemingia is ...