Bark
Young branches green to brownish and finely hairy; older stems become woody with grey-brown bark.
Syn. Zornia strobilifera
Young branches green to brownish and finely hairy; older stems become woody with grey-brown bark.
Leaflet 1, obovate to ovate, 9.5-15 cm long, 4-9 cm wide.
Flowers occur in at branch-ends or in leaf-axils branched racemes 8-15 cm long. Flowers are enclosed in large leaf-like bracts 1-3 cm.
Fruit a small legume/pod, usually enclosed or partly concealed by persistent bracts; seeds small, generally dark brown to blackish.
In the cultural traditions of Assam, it is known as Makhiyoti. During Goru Bihu, the Assamese festival celebrating livestock, its leafy branches are traditionally tied into bundles and used to gently strike cattle while they are bathed, symbolically believed to protect them from disease, insects and misfortune in the coming year.
Tropical & Subtropical Asia to NW. Pacific