Crotalaria axillaris Aiton

First published in Hort. Kew. 3: 20 (1789)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical Africa. It is a shrub and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Bushy herb or shrub, 1–3 m tall; branches rather thinly to densely covered with short appressed or crisped hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 3-foliolate; leaflets mostly 4–10 × 2–5 cm, elliptic, shortly hairy beneath, with appressed or more often slightly spreading hairs most dense along the nerves; petiole 3–10 cm long; stipules 0.5–2 mm long, linear.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers 2–6(12) in the axils, clustered or very shortly racemose; bracts up to 1.5 mm long, linear; bracteoles minute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 1–1.3(1.5) cm long, puberulous to pubescent; lobes narrowly attenuate-triangular, twice as long as the tube.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard subcircular-obovate, clear yellow, tinged reddish with age, medially puberulous outside; wings as long as the keel; keel 1.5–1.8 cm long, rounded a little below the middle, with a twisted beak.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod 4.5–6 × 0.8–1.5 cm, oblong-clavate, narrowed into a stipe 0.6–1(1.5) cm long, puberulous or pubescent, becoming venose, c. 16–20-seeded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 4–5 mm long, subreniform, smooth, orange-brown or buff.
[FZ]

Papilionaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:2. 1958

Morphology General Habit
An erect shrub or woody herb, up to 10 ft. high
Morphology General Indumentum
Shortly silky-pubescent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers bright yellow
Ecology
In thickets and old farms.
[FWTA]

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

Morphology General Habit
Shrub or woody herb, well branched at least above, up to 1–4 m. tall.
Morphology Branches
Branches appressed puberulous to densely spreading yellowish pubescent or tomentellous.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 3-foliolate; leaflets elliptic, more rarely lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, up to 4·5–10 cm. long, 2·2–5·5 cm. wide, glabrous above, appressed puberulous to pubescent beneath, with slightly spreading sometimes crisped hairs most dense along the nerves; petiole ± 3–10·5 cm. long.
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules filiform, up to 2 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences axillary, very shortly racemose or subfasciculate, ± 2–6(–12)-flowered; bracts filiform, up to 1·5 mm. long; bracteoles minute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx ± 10–13(–15) mm. long, slightly protracted on the lower side, thinly puberulous to conspicuously pubescent; upper lobes narrow, much longer than the tube.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard suborbicular-obovate, clear yellow, tinged reddish with age, puberulous along the midvein outside; wings ± as long as the keel; keel rounded below the middle, with a well-developed twisted beak, ± 15–18 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod oblong-clavate, narrowed rather gradually into a 6–10(–15) mm. long stipe, variable in size, ± 45–60 mm. long, 8–14 mm. across, puberulous or pubescent, developing conspicuous veins, ± 16–20-seeded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds subreniform, 4–5 mm. long, smooth, orange-brown or buff.
Habitat
Forest margins, deciduous woodland and bushland, grassland, also in abandoned cultivations, secondary scrub and on coral crags; 0–2250 m.
Distribution
K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 T2 T3 T4 T6 U2 Z
[FTEA]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Zanzibar-Inhambane regional transition zone; grassland., Guinea-Congolia/Sudania regional transition zone; bushland and thicket., Somalia-Masai grasslands, Guinea-Congolia/Sudania regional transition zone; grasslands., Guineo-Congolian grasslands,
Morphology General Habit
Perennial, Not climbing, Herb/Shrub
[ILDIS]

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
[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

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical 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