Crotalaria anthyllopsis Welw. ex Baker

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

Morphology General Habit

Shortly erect annual with long decumbent lower branches, thinly covered with long bristly spreading hairs.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves shortly petiolate, 1-foliolate; leaflets mostly 3–10 × 0.8–3 cm, ovate to oblong-lanceolate, the upper ones longer and narrower, pilose, usually thinly so, on both surfaces; stipules 6–10(12) mm long, linear or filiform.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Racemes up to 2–5 cm long, subsessile, dense, many-flowered; bracts up to 7–14(17) mm long, linear or filiform; bracteoles inserted at base of the calyx, similar.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 5–6 mm long, becoming basally truncate and deflexed against the pedicel, sparsely hirsute; lobes attenuate-triangular, much longer than the tube.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Standard subcircular, pale yellow, purplish veined; wings exceeding the keel; keel 5–6(8) mm long, strongly rounded about the middle, with a straight or slightly incurved beak.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pod 6–7 mm long, sessile, subglobose, slightly compressed laterally, densely hirsute, (1)3–6-seeded.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 2–3 mm long, oblique-cordiform, wrinkled, reddish-brown.

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

Morphology General Habit

Annual, with a short erect stem, up to 6 dm. tall, but usually much less, and long decumbent lower branches.

Morphology Branches

Branches sparsely covered with long bristly spreading hairs.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves 1-foliolate; leaflets ovate to oblong-lanceolate, with the upper ones longer and proportionally narrower, up to 30–65(–95) mm. long, 12–20(–25) mm. wide, sparsely pilose on both surfaces; petiole 4–10(–15) mm. long.

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules linear or filiform, ± 6–10(–12) mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Racemes subsessile, dense, up to 4·5 cm. long, many-flowered; bracts linear or filiform, up to 7–14(–17) mm. long; bracteoles inserted at the base of the calyx, similar to the bract.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx becoming basally truncate and deflexed against the pedicel, 5–6 mm. long, sparsely hirsute; lobes attenuate triangular, much longer than the tube.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Standard suborbicular, pale yellow, with purplish veins and glabrous outside; wings longer than the keel; keel strongly rounded about the middle, with a short straight or slightly incurved untwisted beak, 5–6(–8) mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pod sessile, subglobose, slightly compressed laterally, 6–7 mm. long, densely hirsute, (1–)3–6-seeded.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds oblique-cordiform, 2–3 mm. long, wrinkled, reddish-brown.

Habitat

Deciduous bushland and Brachystegia woodland, grassland and river banks, also persisting on roadsides and cultivated ground; 900–2000 m.

Distribution

K2 K3 K5 T1 T2 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 U1 U2 U3 N. Nigeria, Ethiopia south to Rhodesia and through Rwanda, eastern and southern Congo to Angola

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation

Not Threatened

Ecology

Africa: Zambezian woodland, Lake Victoria regional transition zone; woodland., Zambezian grassland, Sudanian grasslands, Sudanian woodland, Lake Victoria regional transition zone; grasslands

Morphology General Habit

Annual, Not climbing, Herb

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