镰刀荚蝶豆 lian dao jia die dou

Herbs. Stems twining, ca. 2 mm thick, pubescent. Leaves imparipinnately 3-foliolate; stipules broadly ovate, 3-3.5 × ca. 2 mm, pubescent; petiole (1.5-)2-5 cm, pubescent; stipels persistent; petiolules 1-2.5 mm; leaflets oblong-elliptic to ovate, (1.8-)2-5.5(-7.5) × (0.8-)2.5-3.5 cm, abaxially pale green and densely pubescent, adaxially dark green and glabrous, lateral veins 6 or 7 pairs, base rounded, apex obtuse or slightly emar­ginate, mucronate. Inflorescence axillary, 1-4-flowered; pedun­cle 2-15 cm; bracts ca. 2 mm; bracteoles 7-17 mm. Flowers often cleistogamous. Calyx tube 3-4 mm; lobes narrowly lan­ceolate, 4-5 mm. Corolla often not developed [when present white, 3-4(-5) cm; standard very finely puberulent appearing glabrous; staminal sheath 20-40 mm]. Legume slightly curved, 3-4 × 0.8-1.1 cm, compressed, usually longitudinally ribbed, minutely puberulent, apex aristate. Seeds 4 or 5, dark reddish brown, ellipsoid to subglobose, ca. 3[-4] × 2 mm.

Among bushes, in open grasslands. Taiwan [native to Central and South America and West Indies; introduced elsewhere].

Clitoria falcata has been misidentified as C. rubiginosa Persoon. The collections from Taiwan are cleistogamous and lack any corolla, so the description of the corolla is taken from Fantz (Vulpia 4: 43. 2005).