Crotalaria assurgens Polhill

First published in Kew Bull. 22: 214 (1968)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is SE. Tanzania to N. Mozambique. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Perennial herb with a deep taproot and several erect stems from the woody base, up to 6 dm. tall, much branched.
Morphology Branches
Branches sparsely appressed puberulous, glabrescent.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 3–foliolate; leaflets linear-lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate or elliptic, up to 18–28(–58) mm. long, 4–14 mm. wide, glabrous or practically so above, thinly appressed pubescent beneath; petiole ± 15–54 mm. long.
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules absent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes lax, up to 17 cm. long, ± 8–16-flowered; bracts linear, ± 2–2·5 mm. long; bracteoles inserted on the pedicel, filiform, ± 0·5–1 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 7–8·5 mm. long, basally narrowed into a prominent receptacle, subglabrous to sparsely puberulous on the lobes; lobes acuminately triangular, shorter to a little longer than the tube.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard elliptic or suborbicular, yellow, flecked and veined reddish-brown, glabrous outside; wings three-fourths to four-fifths as long as the keel; keel rounded about the middle with a rather short obtuse untwisted beak, 14–15 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod oblong-clavate, narrowed into a 5–7 mm. long stipe, 38–45 mm. long, 9–11 mm. across, appressed puberulous, mottled dull purplish, ± 10 seeded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Mature seeds unknown.
Habitat
Brachystegia, Uapaca woodland, persisting on roadsides, waste and cultivated ground; 900–1100 m.
Distribution
T8 not known elsewhere
[FTEA]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Insufficiently known
Ecology
Africa: Zambezian woodland
Morphology General Habit
Perennial, Not climbing, Herb
[ILDIS]

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

Morphology General Habit
Perennial herb with several erect much branched stems to 60 cm tall, with sparsely puberulous branches.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 3-foliolate, somewhat glaucous; leaflets 1.8–2.8(5.8) × 0.4–1.4 cm, linear-lanceolate to elliptic, glabrous or practically so above, thinly appressed pubescent beneath; stipules absent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes lax, mostly 8–16-flowered; bracts 2–2.5 mm long, linear; bracteoles small.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 7–8.5 mm long, subglabrous; lobes acuminately triangular, ± as long as the tube.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard elliptic to subcircular, yellow, flecked and veined outside reddish-brown to purple, glabrous outside; wings 0.75–0.8 times as long as the keel; keel 1.4–1.5 cm long, rounded about the middle with a rather short obtuse beak.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod with the 5–7 mm long stipe 3.8–4.5 cm long, oblong-clavate, puberulous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Mature seeds not seen.
[FZ]

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: threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • International Legume Database and Information Service

    • International Legume Database and Information Service (ILDIS) V10.39 Nov 2011
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • World Checklist of Vascular plants (WCVP)

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0