Introduction
Indigofera L. (Fabaceae) comprises of 700-800 species ( Schrire
2005, Schrire 2009, Chauhan et al. 2013) confined to tropical and
subtropical regions of the world particularly Asia, Africa, Australia
and new world (Clarke et al. 2015, Wilson and Rowe, 2015). The
predominant centre of diversity of Indigofera is considered in
South Africa and Madagascar (Schrire 2005). In India, the genus is
represented by 60 species (Sheetty and Singh 1987, Hajra et al, 1995,
Sanjappa 1995) which includes 23 from Rajasthan (Bhandari 1978) and 17
from Jammu and Kashmir. Schrire (2005) while carried out phylogenetic
analysis of the tribe Indigofereae from Africa and Madagascar,
recognised seven species of and compared with four species of as
accepted by Polhill (1981a, 1981b). Thereafter, phenetic analysis and
pollen features were examined in species of tribe Indigofereae from
Africa and Madagascar (Schrire and Sim 1997). The genus is characterised
by a combination of medifixed, T-shaped hair, pulvinate leaves, axillary
simple racemes, anthers with apiculate connective and flowers with
explosive pollen display (Hutchinson 1964, de Kort and Thijsse 1984,
Lievens, 1992).
Some fascinating specimens were gathered from the wasteland and along
the roadsides of periphery of Jodhpur in 2022 in the direction of Pali
(Rajasthan). On critical examination of the species in the Life Sciences
Lab. of Govt. College for Women, Parade, Jammu and perusal of relevant
floristic literature revealed that the species is quite different from
the so far discovered species of the tribe Indigofereae and yet to be
named on account of trichomes which are of three types on both the
surfaces of leaves, such as such as centrifixed or subcentrifixed,
having two arms (bi-ramous) equally or unequally armed (Lievens, 1992,
Schrire 2005) three (tri-ramous), four arms (tetra-ramous), unequal and
(penta-arms) antler shaped. All these hair type are found in our
specimens but the most common type of the hairs in the genusIndigofera are bi-ramous. The leaves and stem particularly
juvenile twigs are densely pubescent. The number of seeds are strictly
one in I. jaisalmerica (Purohit and Kulloli 2021), usually one
per pod but two seeds per pod are also present in the new species.
Furthermore, the seeds are heteromorphic in our specimens when the seeds
per pod is two. Since this specimens are different from the hitherto
known species of Indigofera L. Therefore, a new name is proposed
to this species as Indigofera jodhpurense . The most closely
allied species to the new species are I. cordifolia and I.
jaisalmerica. The accuracy of the species has further been verified by
consulting floristic literature (Polhill 1981, Sheetty and Singh 1987,
Sanjappa 1984, 1995, Schrire (2005). Some additional corroboration was
obtained with herbarium specimens kept in different herbaria of the
world. It is further established that the species has gone unreported
probably as a result of close similarity with its allied species in the
field.