Help identify this Fabaceae (Desmodium Sp ?)

[taffa...@gmail.com]

Dear members ,

Please help identify  this plant with beautiful violet flowers.

It was growing wild on a dry sloping side of  a bund in Rawathpora Srinagar .It is a herb branched at base has leaves with three leaflets and  violet flowers with very short 1mm long pedicils (see photos).All photos were taken today only(30 June 2025).

Is it Desmodium species and if so what species .

Would be grateful for help in identification

Regards

[Saroj Kasaju]

Are these mobile shots ? Images are so unclear. Cannot zoom.

Thank you.

Saroj Kasaju

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[taffa...@gmail.com]

Yes , unfortunately had to take the pictures while walking.

 The other pictures taken with a cut branch placed on graph paper are I think better

Hope they help

Regards

[taffa...@gmail.com]

The height is between 4-6 inches (10-15cm)

[J.M. Garg]

Pl. check as images not clear:
https://efloraofindia.com/efi/medicago-sativa/

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With regards,
J.M.Garg, 
https://efloraofindia.com/

[taffa...@gmail.com]

Dear Garg ji,

Thans for the suggestion,

As you can see from the photo of a branch placed on graph paper the leaflets are just about 7mm long and 2mm wide but in lucerne they are 10 -25 mm long. Also lucerne is a tall grass but this has a spreading habit with branches just about 4 inches above ground. The petals also are just 2-3 mm long See photo of flower on graph paper (1 square=1mm).I think it is very different from M.sativa.

Regards

[taffa...@gmail.com]

Two more picture showing much branched spreading habit and details of inflorescence

Photos taken on 3July2025

[taffa...@gmail.com]

Photo showing details of stipules 2mm long and 0.5mm broad.

I think the stipules rule out M.sativa.

Gurcharan ji could help us in this matter.

Regards

[taffa...@gmail.com]

One more photo

[taffa...@gmail.com]

Some more photos.

All photos taken on5/July/2025

All photos posted by me at this site are under CC licence(attribution only needed for commercial or noncommercial use)

Regards

[taffa...@gmail.com]

One more photo

Note flask shaped ovary with triangular (trifid ?) stigma

[taffa...@gmail.com]

For graph paper 1 small square =1mm

[taffa...@gmail.com]

One more photo of triangular concave stigma

[taffa...@gmail.com]

Photos of pollen grains

I hope with all the photos the plant can now be identified by experts

Regards

Taffazull

[J.M. Garg]

Flora of China says "... Stipules ovate-lanceolate, base entire or with 1 or 2 denticles, apex acute; ...."

I think id is correct with your additional images.

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[taffa...@gmail.com]

Dear Garg ji,

Thanks for the suggestion

Flora of China mentions ovary linear but if you see the photos of ovary I have posted ovary is flask shaped  with a distinct curvature.

Perhaps an expert like Gurcharan ji could help in this matter

Regards

[taffa...@gmail.com]

Two photos of stigma seen from front. Densely covered with papillae. Mag X 50. The the previous photos of Stigma I posted were at a much higher mag.

[taffa...@gmail.com]

Could be M.sativa as stem is (rarely) prostrate

Would request kind opinion of Gurcharan ji

Regards

Taffazull

[taffa...@gmail.com]

Am attaching a  illustration in public domain Wikimedia Commons.

(Attribution Amédée Masclef, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

The linear ovary in the illustration is very different from the ovary in my plant (photo attached)

Would request opinion of experts.

Prostrate habit and shape of ovary make identification as M.sativa problematic for me.

Regards

[taffa...@gmail.com]

Or I could be confused as I do not have much experience in the field

[J.M. Garg]

Ok, Taffazul ji.

I keep it as M.sativa? for the time being. 

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[Saroj Kasaju]

Medicago sativa L. is correct ?

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fne.m.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2Fचित्र%3AMedicago-sativa-flowers.jpg&psig=AOvVaw1YeSH5pZoIG9wJsQccv1up&ust=1752492138685000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBMQjhxqFwoTCOCS8ZPcuY4DFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE

Thank you.

Saroj Kasaju

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[taffa...@gmail.com]

Dear Garg Ji and Kasoj ji,

Thanks  for the identification,

I agree it is M. Sativa  but it has some features which could suggest it to be a sub species perhaps endemic to Kashmir valley.

The most notable thing apart from its small leaflets is the morphology of the ovary (see attached photos). The most noticeable things are:

1. The ovary is about 5mm long of which lower 3/5ths is green but upper 2/5ths is white and translucent. The shape of the lower 3/5ths green part is linear as reported in FOC.

2.At the transition between the green and white portion the ovary dilates into a flask like structure with a tapering neck with the stigma at the end. It was this expanded part which first misled me into supposing that ovary is not linear but flask shaped.

3.The style does not appear to be clearly demarcated from the ovary but it seems that the stigma is borne sessile on the tapering part.

Thus it is possible that it is a subspecies differing from the type species in  having small leaves, prostrate habit and peculiar morphology of the ovary

Regards

[Saroj Kasaju]

OK Dr. Taffazull.

Thank you.

Saroj Kasaju

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