Clothed Shuteria is a herbs, 1-3 m long. Stems are
twining, slender, densely velvety or hairless. Leaves are pinnately
3-foliolate; stipules ovate-lanĀceolate, persistent. Leaf-stalks are
2.5-7.5 cm; stipels linear; leaflets broadly ovate, ovate, or
suborbicular, 1.5-6.5 x 1.1-5.5 cm, membranous to thinly papery, base
rounded, apex rounded, slightly concave, with small mucro. Flower
raceme are axillary, axis 9-15 cm, lower 2 or 3 nodes with reduced,
sessile, circular or reniĀform leaflets; peduncle 1-2.5 cm. Flowers
are red, purple, or light purple, about 1 cm. Bracts and bracteoles are
lanceolate, persistent. Sepal cup is tubular, 4-lobed; sepals
lanceshaped, shorter than tube. Flowers have standard elliptic-obovate,
apex slightly obtuse, slightly emarginate; wings oblong, subequal to
keels. Seed-pods is linear, compressed, 3-5 x 0.2-0.6 cm, tip beaked.
Seeds are 5 or 6, brown, lustrous. Clothed Shuteria is found in the
Himalayas, up to SE Asia, at altitudes of 900-2200 m. It is also found
in the Western Ghats. Flowering: September-March.