Crotalaria calycina Schrank

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

Morphology General Habit

Erect little-branched annual, 1·5–10 dm. tall.

Morphology Stem

Stem densely hirsute with long bristly appressed or slightly spreading hairs.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves simple; blade linear to oblong-lanceolate, up to 65–145 mm. long, 6–10 mm. wide, acute, glabrous above, appressed pilose beneath; petiole 2–4 mm. long.

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules very small, obscured by the stem indumentum.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers solitary in the upper axils, often a few aggregated terminally, or up to 6 in terminal racemes up to 22 cm. long; bracts lanceolate-caudate, 6–18 mm. long; bracteoles inserted on the upper part of the pedicel, similar to the bract.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx (3–)5-lobed, 2-lipped, longer than the corolla, accrescent in fruit, ± 22–30 mm. long; upper lobes oblong-lanceolate, 2–3 times as long as the tube, pilose with long spreading tawny hairs.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Standard elliptic-oblong, pale yellow, glabrous outside; wings nearly as long as the keel; keel shortly rounded below the middle, with a straight twisted beak, 15–17 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pod sessile, subcylindrical, up to 20–25 mm. long, 8 mm. across, glabrous, ± 20–35-seeded.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds bluntly subtriangular, ± 3 mm. long, smooth, light brown.

Habitat

Deciduous bushland, grassland and persisting on roadsides and cultivated ground; 50–1400 m.

Distribution

Sudan and Congo west to Senegal, Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia to Angola, also tropical Asia to north Australia P T1 T5 T6 T7 T8 U1 U2 U3 Z

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

Morphology General Habit

Erect annual herb, up to 2 ft. high, simple or with few branches

Morphology General Indumentum

Densely brown-silky

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers yellow, few, about 1 in. long, enclosed by the conspicuously villous calyx

Ecology

In savannah.

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

Morphology General Habit

Erect annual, 0.15–1 m tall, usually little branched; stem densely covered with long coarse mostly appressed hairs.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves simple; blade 4–15 × 0.4–1.5 cm, linear to oblong-lanceolate, acute, glabrous except along midvein above, appressed pilose beneath; petiole 1–4 mm long; stipules very small, obscured by indumentum.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers few in terminal racemes and in the upper axils; bracts 6–18 mm long, lanceolate, caudate; bracteoles near the top of the pedicel, similar.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 2–2.3 cm long, accrescent, longer than the corolla, deeply divided into 2 lips, densely covered with long tawny spreading hairs; upper lobes oblong-lanceolate, 3–4 times as long as the tube.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Standard elliptic-oblong, pale yellow, with a few hairs apically outside; wings nearly as long as the keel; keel 1.5–1.7 cm long, subangular, with a straight twisted beak.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pod sessile, 2–2.5 cm long, subcylindrical, glabrous, 16–36-seeded.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 2.5–3 mm long, subtriangular, shiny, smooth, pale yellow to light brown.

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