Flemingia vestita Benth. ex Baker A & B. Habit. C. Abaxial 1876

. Flemingia vestita Benth. ex Baker (1876:230).

Maughania vestita (Benth.ex Baker) Kuntze(1891: 199). Lepidocoma vestita (Benth. ex Baker) M. R. Almeida (1998: 105).

Type:— INDIA: Kumaon, Blinkworth s. n., s. d., Wallich Cat. 5545 (lectotype K, isolectotype CAL). Fig. 2 & 3.

Description: —Decumbent herbs, all overground parts covered with white spreading hairs, mixed with yellow bulbous-based hairs and orange globose glands. Root clustered with 2–6 fusiform tubers. Stem multi-branched, terete to sub-tetragonal, slender, striate. Leaves digitately trifoliolate, 3.5–8 cm; stipules persistent, basifixed, ovate to ovatelanceolate, acute at apex, scarious; petioles 1–3.5 cm, grooved above; leaflets obovate to rounded, obtuse at apex, sometimes with an inconspicuous mucro, broadly cuneate at base; lateral veins reticulate and depressed on the adaxial surface; terminal leaflet 1.5–4.1 × 1.2–3.7 cm, lateral ones oblique and smaller; petiolules 1–2 mm, spreading hairy; stipels present, linear, ca. 1.5 mm. Inflorescence a terminal head, 2–6-flowered; peduncles 1.4–5 cm; bracts aggregated at the base of peduncles, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, caducous or partly persistent, longitudinally striate, densely hairy. Flowers ca. 13 mm, with a short pedicel 1–3 mm. Calyx ca. 8 mm, densely hairy; tube campanulate, ca. 4 mm; teeth 5, subequal, ca. 4 mm. Corolla purplish red; standard subrounded, ca. 10 mm, inner surface glabrous, outer surface covered with appressed white hairs and orange glands, with a short claw at base; wing petals oblong; keel petals falcate, with an acute apex. Stamens 10, diadelphous (9+1); anthers uniform, basifixed. Pods reticulate veined, sparsely pubescent, mixed with orange-red glands, not exerted the persistent calyx. Seed 1 per pod, blackish brown, subglobose, ca. 4 mm in diameter, with an elliptic hilum ca. 1 mm.

Distribution and habitat: —This species was known from India, Nepal, and Thailand before (Gavade et al. 2019, Mattapha et al. 2021). It is newly recorded from China (Sichuan and Yunnan), and distributed in the savanna valleys along the Jinsha River.

Phenology: —Flowering in August and September; fruiting in October and November.

Taxonomic notes: — Flemingia vestita was firstly recognized in Yunnan by Franchet (1889 –1890) but was later overlooked or treated as a synonym in Chinese floras. Tang & Wang (1955) mentioned the species in the notes on the genus and considered it distributed in the Himalayas. Wei (1991) revised the genus in China but did not record the species. Wei (1995) did not recognize Flemingia vestita but cited it as a synonym of F. procumbens Roxb., which was also adopted by Sa & Gilbert (2010). However, after the lectotypification conducted by Gavade et al. (2016), F. procumbens should be a member of Flemingia Roxb. ex W. T. Aiton (1812: 349) subg. Flemingiastrum (De Candolle 1825a: 351) Baker (1876: 228); it bears woody roots and solitary racemes, which is different from F. vestita. Do & Gao (2020) revised the genus distributed in the Indochina region, but they could not trace the specimens of F. procumbens or F. vestita, so they listed F. procumbens as a doubtful species and neglected F. vestita.

Previous studies focused on the genus Flemingia all stated that the genus is estipellate (Wei 1995, Sa & Gilbert 2010, Do & Gao 2020, Gavade et al. 2020). However, our observation showed that F. vestita (B. Liu 550, HITBC) bears stipels (Fig. 3). This may be the first report of the presence of stipels in Flemingia.

Conservation status: —As a widespread species, Flemingia vestita is here considered as Least Concern (LC) according to IUCN Categories (2019).

Chinese name: —The Chinese name of Flemingia vestita is given here as ậ地千Ƒffl, “ ậ地 ” means “arid land” in Chinese, while “ 千Ƒffl ” is the common name of the genus Flemingia. The Chinese name refers to its natural habitat.

Specimens examined:— CHINA: Sichuan: Xichang, Yanbian, Dapingzi, Yankou, adret, alt. 2300 m, 26 th Aug. 1978, Anonymous 0349 (SM). Panzhihua, Cycad Reserve, 16 th Sept. 2010, B. Liu 550 (HITBC). Yunnan: Lijiang, Yongsheng, Liude, mountainous area, alt. 1869 m, 7 th Sept. 2020, J. Q. Dong 202009075313 (NPH).