Farsetia stylosa R. Br.

Farsetia species are erect or spreading undershrubs or herbs. Rootstocks taproot. Hairs bipartite, white stiff appressed. Stem erect, leafy, simple or usually branched from the base, sometimes branched above, pubescent, rarely glabrous. Leaves simple, linear lanceolate to oblong, base cuneate to attenuate, margin entire, apex acute to acuminate, petiole short to sessile. Inflorescence racemes, lax, few to many flowered, elongated in fruit, ebracteate. Flowers bisexual, yellow, purplish, pink, orange, whitish, actinomorphic, pedicel erect, thick or slender, ascending, sepals 4, subequal, erect, oblong, lateral pair base not saccate, apex obtuse, petals 4, linear oblong, almost twice as long as sepals, base cuneate, margins usually crimpled or curved inwards, apex obtuse. Stamens 6, filaments linear, anthers linear-oblong, lateral nectar glands present, median glands absent. Ovary superior, linear, ellipsoid-cylindrical, sessile, bicarpellary, syncarpous, pubescent, ovules 10-40. Fruit siliqua, linear-ellipsoid to linear-oblong, compressed, bilocular, base and apex nearly rounded, subglabrous or slightly covered with bipartite appressed hairs, midrib prominent, torulose, septum complete, membranous, style obsolete, stigma capitate, bilobed or entire. Seeds uniseriate or biseriate, compressed, brown, oblong-ovoid, winged, minutely reticulate, cotyledons accumbent.

Farsetia species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Flowering/Fruiting: February—November.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., wind dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Erect or spreading perennial herbs, about 8-50 cm tall. Rootstocks slender, taproot. Hairs bipartite, white stiff appressed. Stem erect, usually woody and much branched towards the base, also branched above, pubescent with white bipartite appressed hairs. Leaves simple, variable, linear lanceolate to linear-oblong, about 10-40 x 1-4 mm across, base cuneate to attenuate, margin entire, apex acute to acuminate, strigose, sparsely pubescent on both sides, petiole sessile. Inflorescence racemes, lax, 5-20 flowered, up to 30 cm long in fruit, ebracteate. Flowers bisexual, orange to whitish, about 2.5-4 mm across, pedicel erect, slender, ascending, about 1-3 mm long, up to 6 mm long in fruit, sepals 4, subequal, erect, oblong, lateral pair base not saccate, apex subobtuse, about 3.5-4 x 1 mm across, petals 4, linear oblong, base attenuate, margins usually crimpled or curved inwards, apex obtuse, about 5-6 mm long. Stamens 6, about 3-4 mm long, filaments linear, anthers linear-oblong, about 1 mm long, lateral nectar glands present, median glands absent. Ovary superior, linear, ellipsoid-cylindrical, sessile, bicarpellary, syncarpous, pubescent, ovules 10-40, style about 1.5-2 mm long, stigma bilobed. Fruit siliqua, linear-ellipsoid to linear-oblong, compressed, bilocular, base and apex nearly rounded, about 10-45 x 1.5-4 mm across, subglabrous or slightly covered with bipartite appressed hairs, midrib prominent, valves torulose, septum complete, membranous, style obsolete, stigma capitate, bilobed or entire. Seeds uniseriate, compressed, brown, oblong-ovoid, about 3 mm, winged, minutely reticulate, cotyledons accumbent.

Farsetia species are susceptible to various insect pests and virus.

Throughout the deserts of western India and dry banks of rivers Jamuna.

Not evaluated (IUCN).

Used in folk medicine.