GUILANDINA

Guilandina L. Sp. Pl. 381. 1753.

18 species

Guilandina bonduc

Guilandina bonduc L., Sp. Pl. 381. 1753; Caesalpinia bonduc (L.) Roxb., Fl. Ind. 2: 362. 1832; Brenan in Milne-Redhead & Polhill, Fl. E. Trop. Afr. 37. 1967; Fl. China @ eFloras.org 10: 43; Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org; C. bonducella (L.) Fleming, As. Res. 11: 159. 1810; Baker in Hook. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. 2: 254. 1879; Parker, For. Fl. Punj. ed. 1. 171. 1918 (Reprint 1973); ed. 3. 172. 1956; C. crista Linn., Sp. Pl. ed. 2(1): 545. 1762; C. bonduc L., Sp. Pl. 381. 1753.

A large scandent or scrambling shrubs, branches downy, armed with straight (or somewhat recurved) prickles, pubescent throughout. Stipules large, foliaceous and lobed, lobes up to 2 cm long, prickly. Leaves 30-45 cm long, bipinnate; rachis with 1-2 recurved prickles at the base of each pinna and scattered straight or recurved prickles between pinnae. Pinnae 6-8 pairs, opposite, 5-16 cm long; leaflets 6-12 pairs on each pinna, opposite, 2.5-4.0 cm x 1.2-2.0 cm, elliptic-oblong; apex obtuse, acute to acuminate, mucronate, base oblique, membranous, both surfaces puberulent; petiolules minute; stipels represented by short hooked prickles. Inflorescence axillary racemes, long pedunculate, 15-30 cm long, densely flowered in upper part and laxly so in lower part; flowers zygomorphic, bisexual, pentamerous, perigynous; pedicels ca. 5 mm long; bracts 1-1.3 cm long, reflexed, linear-subulate, exceeding the buds, caducous at anthesis; rachis, pedicels and bracts brown-tomentose. Calyx 5-8 cm long, calyx tube short, lobes 5, imbricate, lowest (abaxial or anterior) concave and larger than the rest, lobes obtuse, brown-tomentose within and without. Petals 5, free, yellow, 1-1.5 cm long, oblanceolate, the upper smaller and spotted with red or orange. Stamens 10, free, declinate (bent or curved downwards), filaments flattened and silky hairy in lower half. Ovary subsessile or sessile, hairy, unilocular, ovules few, placentation marginal; style filiform; stigma terminal, truncate or concave. Legumes 5-8 cm x 3-5 cm, shortly stalked, leathery, apex rounded and with beak, swollen, densely covered with wiry 5-10 mm long prickles. Seeds (1-)2-3, lead-coloured, shining, 1.2 cm x 1.8 cm, ovoid or globose.

Flowering and Fruiting: July to September
Common Names: Fever Nut, Bonduc Nut, Yellow Nicker, Grey Nicker, Nicker Seed, Nicker Bean; Kantkaranj, Kantikaranj, Kuberakshi (Hindi)