Butea buteiformis - Shrub Butea

Shrub Butea is a shrub or perennial herb, about 2 m tall. Stems are erect or scrambling, angular, velvety with brownish hairs. Leaves are trifolitae, with stalks 10-20 cm long. Leaflets are broadly ovate- elliptic, 15-45 × 12-35 cm, silky with brownish hairs, lateral veins 10-12 pairs, base rounded or flat, tip pointed. Flowers are borne in many flowered racemes or panicles. Sepal cup is 6-8 mm, velvety with brownish hairs. Flowers are orange-red, pea-flower shaped. Standard petal is broadly elliptic, recurved, about 1.5 cm; wings are narrowly ovate, falcate, about 1.3 cm; keel ovate, about 1.7 cm. Pods are 6-10 cm long, 2-3 cm wide, velvety with brownish hairs. Leaves are used as plates to serve food, and also to wrap food. Shrub Butea is found on dry valley slopes, open grasslands at altitudes of 1800-2000 m NE India, Myanmar, Nepal and China. Flowering: April-August.