Alysicarpus sanjappae - Prostrate Yellow-Red Alyce Clover

Prostrate Yellow-Red Alyce Clover is a prostrate or procumbent herb. It is named after Dr M. Sanjappa, Former Director of the Botanical Survey of India, who has made valuable contributions to plant science in general and to legumes in particular. Stems and branches are herbaceous, hairless except for a bristly line of distantly placed hairs. Leaves are usually 1-foliolate mixed with 3-foliolate, stalked, stipulate; leaf-stalks 2-6 mm long, hairless, stipules lanceoshaped, tapering, 9-12 x 1.5-2.6 mm. Leaflets are ovate or obovate, 0.6-2.5 x 0.4-1.5 cm, rounded at base, mucronate at tip, upper surface hairless, lower distantly hairy on the nerves. Flowers are 6-20, paired, borne in leaf-axils or at branch-ends, in 1.5-6.5 cm long pseudo-racemes. Flower-stalks are 1.5-3 mm long, hairless. Calyx is gamosepalous, sepals five, lanceshaped, bristly with brown hairs on margins at tips of all sepals; two posterior sepals fused at tips, bristly with brown hairs at base, three anterior sepals free, hairless at base, 6 – 9 Χ 1.5 – 2 mm. Flowers are yellow with red tinge; standard obovate, base narrowed, tip notched, 5-6.5 x 3-4.5 mm; wing deep pink, rounded, obovate, tapering at base, slightly curved 4-4.5 x 2-3 mm, keel boat-shaped 4.5-4.7 x 3.5 mm, netveined. Pods are 6-8 mm long, 4-5-jointed, rugose, as long as calyx or slightly exerted, turning black at maturity.