Centrosema pubescens Benth.

Taxonomy: Plantae > Tracheophyta > Equisetopsida > Fabales > Fabaceae > Centrosema > C. pubescens

Description: Perennial herb that can reach a height of 45 cm (17.5 in). The root system can reach up to 30 cm in depth, frequently in association with Rhizobium, nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Stems grow and branch rapidly, producing a dense mass of branches and leaves on the soil. Stems do not become woody until about 18 months after planting. Leaves are trifoliate, with elliptical leaflets dark-green and glabrous above but whitish and densely tomentose below. Flowers are generally pale violet with darker violet veins, born in axillary racemes. Fruit is a flat, long, dark brown pod containing up to 20 seeds. Seeds are spherical, dark brown when ripe.

Flowering and Fruiting:

Uses: It is widely used as forage and a source of protein to grazing cattle from southern Mexico to Colombia. In the nineteenth century it was cropped in Indonesia and the Malay Peninsula

Cultivation: Wild.

References

http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org

https://indiabiodiversity.org