Spatholobus purpureus Benth. ex Baker (PAPILIONACEAE)
Description: A large climbing shrub. Leaves 3-foliolate, rachis ca 14 cm long; petioles 3-7 cm long; leaflets oblong-elliptic or ovate-oblong, ca 16 x 9 cm, rounded at base, shortly acuminate at apex, glabrous on both the surfaces; main nerves 6-8 pairs. Flowers numerous in terminal and axillary leafy panicles. Calyx campanulate, lobes short. Corolla pruple, standard broadly ovate, with a long claw. Stamens 10, diadelphous; anthers uniform. The ovary is sessile, with an incurved style and a capitate stigma. The fruit is an indehiscent pod, oblong and falcate, measuring approximately 10 x 2 cm, with reticulate veining. It contains a solitary, compressed seed.
Flowering & Fruiting: December – May.
Distribution: India: South India. Endemic.