Indian Fagonbush

Libyan Desert Oases, Nubian Desert Oases, Arabian Desert (Wadi Allaqi), South Red Sea Coast, North Red Sea Coast, Galala Desert, Gebel Elba.

Egypt, Libya, Sahara, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti, Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India.

Perennial.

Annual to perennial, covered with whitish pruinose or sessile glands or glabrous shrublet. Stem basally somewhat woody, branches procumbent or erect, cylindrical, striate, internodes 2.5-5 cm long. Leaves mostly unifoliolate or basal ones trifoliolate and upper unifoliolate, leaflets linear-oblong or lanceolate, 6-35 mm long, 3-4 mm broad, mucronate, short to long petioled or sessile; stipular spines awl shaped, patent to ascending, equal to shorter than leaves, occasionally deficient or minute. Flowers mediocre, c. 1.2 cm across, pinkish-purple; pedicel 4-6 mm long. Sepals ovate, c. 3-4 mm long, c. 1.5 mm broad, glandular outside, acute, persistent. Petals spathulate, c. 6 mm long, c. 3 mm broad, obtuse. Stamens with c. 6 mm long filaments. Capsule 3-4 mm long and broad, pubescent, pedicel equal to about twice as long as fruit.

Distribution: Indo-Pakistan subcontinent westwards to North and East tropical Africa in arid and semi-arid regions.