Triumfetta pilosa Roth

The plant has not yet been collected from our area but may occur in the sub-himalayan tract and from Ravi eastwards (fide Parker, l.c.) in the N.E. of Pakistan (Punjab).

Perennial, basally woody, c. 1.5 m tall herb. Stem tuberculate, sparingly covered with bulbous based, yellowish-brown, stellate or simple patent hairs or glabrescent. Leaves 5-costate, narrowly ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, 5-12.5 cm long, 1.3-4.5 cm broad, stellate hairy on both sides, acuminate at the apex, sub-cordate or obtuse at the base, coarsely serrate; petiole 1-3 (-5) cm long, pilose; stipules linear-lanceolate, 8-10 mm long, acute, pilose. Inflorescence a many flowered, axillary or antiphyllous short peduncled cyme. Flowers yellow, c. 1 cm across, pedicel c. 2-3 mm long, densely hairy. Sepals lorate, 9-10 mm long, cucul¬late and minutely awned at the apex, stellate hairy outside. Petals narrowly oblanceolate, 7-8 mm long, obtuse, hairy at the base. Stamens mostly 10, as long as petals. Carpels 4; ovary globose, 4-loculed, hairy; style subulate, 7-8 mm long, stigma 4-lobed. Capsule subglobose, densely tomentose, 1.1-1.3 cm long, 1.2-1.4 cm in diameter including 6-8 mm long, uncinate spines with patent hairs all round. Seeds dark brown, shining, planoconvex.

Herbs woody at base, or subshrubs to 1(-1.5) m tall. Branchlets yellow-brown stellate tomentose, simple hairs also present. Petiole 1-5 cm; leaf blade ovate or narrowly ovate, 3-14 × 1.3-4.5 cm, thickly papery, abaxially densely yellow-brown stellate tomentose, adaxially sparsely stellate, basal veins 3, lateral 2 ascending beyond 1/2 blade, base rounded or subcordate, margin irregularly serrate, apex acuminate or acute. Cymes 1 to several per node; peduncle 5-8 mm. Flower buds pilose. Pedicel 3-5 mm. Bracts lanceolate, ca. 1 mm. Sepals narrowly lanceolate, 6-10(-12) × 1-1.5 mm, hairy, apex cucullate, apical appendage 0.5-1 mm. Petals as long as sepals. Stamens 10(-30). Ovary hairy. Capsule globose, body 3-5 mm in diam., spiny, overall 1.1-1.3 × 1.2-1.4 cm, 4-loculed, dehiscent; spines 6-8 mm, hairy, tip hooked. Fl. summer-autumn.

Africa, Himalaya, India to Indo-China.

Distribution: India, Nepal, Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Malaya, China and tropical Africa.

1000-1700 m

Fl. Per.: June-November.

Dry scrub. Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, Yunnan [Bhutan, ?Cambodia, India, ?Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, New Guinea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, ?Vietnam; tropical Africa, Australia].