Crotalaria kerkvoordei R.Wilczek

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

Morphology General Habit

Suffrutex or bushy subshrub 40–70 cm tall, several-stemmed from a small woody rootstock, with numerous floriferous ascending branches above, covered in a fine silky tomentum giving a silvery (drying golden) sheen on the younger parts.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves estipulate, sessile, 3-foliolate; leaflets 10–30 × 1–6 mm, linear to narrowly oblong-elliptic, pointed and apiculate, slightly incurved at the margins, finely silky tomentose on both surfaces; venation inconspicuous, but basal lateral nerves ascending close to the margin nearly to the apex.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Racemes terminal, subsessile, short, 2–7-flowered or the flowers solitary; bracts 4–5 mm long, linear-lanceolate; bracteoles on the pedicel near or below the middle, 2–2.5 mm long, linear.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 7–9 mm long, silky tomentose; lobes narrowly attenuate-triangular, 2–3 times as long as the tube.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Standard broadly elliptic-ovate, apiculate, orange-yellow, ± densely pubescent on the upper half outside; wings ± as long as the keel; keel 9–12 mm long, falcate to strongly rounded in the lower half, with a narrow slightly incurved pointed beak.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pods subsessile, 1.2–1.6 cm long, oblong-ellipsoid to shortly cylindrical, tomentose outside, pilose inside, 6–8-seeded.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 2.5 mm long, oblique-cordiform, smooth, yellow to orange.

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