Crotalaria annua Milne-Redh.

Leguminosae, J. B. Gillett, R. M. Polhill & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1971

Morphology General Habit

Erect rather bushy annual or short-lived perennial, up to 7–15 dm. tall, with many ascending branches.

Morphology Stem

Stem densely covered with generally long fine spreading whitish hairs.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves mostly well spaced, 3-foliolate; leaflets oblanceolate to obovate-elliptic, up to 12–20 mm. long, 3–8 mm. wide, acute to rounded at the apex, narrowed to the base, thinly pilose above, more densely so beneath; petiole ± 4–10 mm. long.

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules absent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Racemes terminal, subsessile, up to 15 cm. long, with numerous rather closely arranged flowers and others clustered in the axils below; bracts linear, 2–3(–5) mm. long, ± as long as the pedicel, or more generally shorter; bracteoles inserted on the lower part of the pedicel, small.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 6–7 mm. long, with the tube slightly protracted on the lower side, pilose; upper lobes triangular-subulate, 2–3 times as long as the tube.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Standard elliptic-obovate, yellow, veined reddish or purple, puberulous medially and apically outside; wings shorter than the keel; keel bent at right-angles in the lower third, with a narrow slightly incurved twisted beak, 9–12(–13) mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pod subsessile, shortly ellipsoid-oblong, 7–9 mm. long, 4–6 mm. across, pubescent, 8–16-seeded.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds oblique-cordiform, ± 2 mm. long, smooth, brown.

Habitat

Thicket edges, probably also in Brachystegia woodland; 1740 m.

Distribution

T4

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation

Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident

Leguminosae, various authors. Flora Zambesiaca 3:7. 2003

Morphology General Habit

Erect annual, (0.3)0.5–1.8 m tall, with rather stiffly ascending branches above; stem densely spreading pilose.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves 3-foliolate; leaflets 8–20 × 3–8 mm, oblanceolate to elliptic-obovate, pilose on both surfaces; petiole 4–15 mm long; stipules 0.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Racemes mostly 5–16 cm long, laxly to densely 12–40-flowered, sometimes with a few flowers in the axils below; bracts 2–3(4) mm long, linear-subulate; bracteoles on the pedicel, setaceous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 6–7 m long, densely pilose; upper lobes narrowly attenuate-triangular, 3–4 times as long as the tube.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Standard elliptic, yellow lined red, apically pubescent outside; wings shorter than the keel; keel 1–1.2 cm long, angular, with a narrow twisted beak slightly incurved at the tip.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pods sessile, obliquely but sub-basally inserted, 7–8 × 5–6 mm, ± ovoid-ellipsoid, subappressed pubescent, 8–16-seeded.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 1.5–2.2 mm long, rounded-cordiform, smooth.