Crotalaria emarginella Vatke

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

Morphology General Habit

Spreading or straggling subshrub or perennial woody herb, up to 3–17 dm. tall.

Morphology Branches

Branches usually densely pubescent, usually with rather long and spreading, rarely short and appressed, hairs.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves mostly crowded on very short lateral shoots, appearing fasciculate, 3-foliolate; leaflets obovate, up to 9–25 mm. long, 6–13(–17) mm. wide, pubescent on both surfaces or glabrous above; petiole slender, up to 10–18(–40) mm. long.

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules linear-caudate, up to 1–4 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Racemes up to 5–24 cm. long, with usually rather numerous fairly laxly arranged flowers; bracts linear-caudate, ± 1·5–4 mm. long; bracteoles inserted on the pedicel, filiform, ± 1 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx (6–)7–9 mm. long, slightly protracted on the lower side, appressed or slightly spreading pubescent; upper lobes narrowly attenuate-triangular, mostly 2–3 times as long as the tube, becoming reflexed.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Standard obovate-orbicular, golden yellow, becoming suffused with red or brown, subglabrous to densely appressed puberulous outside; wings a little shorter than the keel; keel bent at right-angles in the lower half, with a long narrow twisted beak, ± 11–14 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pod shortly stipitate, oblong-clavate, 20–28 mm. long, 4·5–6 mm. across, puberulous or pubescent, ± 14–20-seeded.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds oblique-cordiform, ± 2·5–4 mm. long, rugulose, brown.

Habitat

Deciduous bushland or semi-desert grassland, generally in dry stony places, more rarely extending into the lower margins of upland evergreen bushland and grassland; 750–1700 m.

Distribution

K1 K2 K4 K7 T2 also tropical Arabia

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation

Not Threatened

Ecology

Africa: Somalia-Masai bushland and thicket, Somalia-Masai grasslands, Afromontane(upland) bushland and thicket.

Morphology General Habit

Perennial, Not climbing, Herb/Shrub

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit

Spreading subshrub or woody herb, up to 0.3–2.5 m tall; branches pubescent

Morphology Leaves

Leaves mostly crowded on very short lateral shoots; leaflets 3, obovate, up to 9–30 x 6–13(–17) mm, pubescent on both surfaces or glabrous above; petiole up to 10–18(–30) mm long

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules up to 5 mm long, or absent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Racemes fairly lax and many-flowered

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 6–8 mm long, pubescent; lobes mostly c. twice as long as the tube

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Standard yellow, sometimes veined reddish or becoming suffused red or brown, or ± purplish blue, glabrous to puberulous outside; keel bent at right-angles in the lower half, c. 11–14 mm long, with a long twisted beak

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pod 15–25 x 5–6 mm, pubescent, c. 14–20-seeded

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds rugulose.

Distribution

N1–3; C2; S1, 2; Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Sudan, Kenya, Yemen

Ecology

Altitude range 150–1850 m.

Vernacular

Casuuro, xarmal (Somali-N).

Note

This is a very variable species in Somalia and perhaps more than one taxon is involved. In the south there is a finely pubescent form with distinct stipules and leaflets glabrous above. More widespread are forms with ± crisped hairs, no or minute stipules and leaflets often hairy above. Most conspicuous are the tall-growing forms with ± purplish blue flowers and no stipules found on rocks in southern Somalia.