Crotalaria lachnophora A.Rich.

First published in Tent. Fl. Abyss. 1: 151 (1848)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical Africa. It is a subshrub or 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, with numerous densely hairy branches above.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 3-foliolate; leaflets mostly 3–7.5 × 0.8–3.5 cm, oblanceolate-oblong, oblong-elliptic or obovate, silky pubescent at least beneath; petiole usually shorter than leaflets; stipules mostly 8–25 mm long, oblong-falcate, caudate, very unequal-sided.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes terminal, laxly few–many-flowered; bracts 6–12 mm long, ovate to obovate, acuminate, caducous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 1.1–1.5(1.8) cm long, brownish spreading tomentose; upper and lateral lobes coherent, narrowly triangular, ± twice as long as the tube.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard subcircular, clear yellow, fading orange-red, glabrous outside; wings broad, exceeding the keel; keel (1.8)2.1–2.4(2.6) cm long, abruptly rounded in the lower half, with a relatively short straight blunt beak, lanate towards the upper edge.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod 2.8–4.5 × 1.2–2 cm, subsessile, broadly cylindrical, with a dense shaggy tomentum, mostly 16–18-seeded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 4.5–5 mm long, oblong-reniform, granulate, orange-yellow.
[FZ]

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

Morphology General Habit
A spreading bush, 3–6 ft. high
Morphology General Indumentum
Clothed with brown hairs
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers conspicuous, yellow becoming reddish
Ecology
In usually wet grassland.
[FWTA]

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

Morphology General Habit
Perennial bushy herb or shrub, 1–3 m. tall, much branched above.
Morphology Branches
Branches slightly ribbed, densely pubescent or tomentose, with mostly slightly spreading brownish hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 3-foliolate; leaflets oblanceolate-oblong, oblong-elliptic or obovate, up to 30–75 mm. long, 8–35 mm. wide, sparsely pubescent or glabrous above, appressed pubescent beneath; petiole 20–35 mm. long.
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules oblong-falcate, 9–25 mm. long, 4–8 mm. wide, caudate, very unequal-sided.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes lax, up to 10–28 cm. long, few–many-flowered; bracts obovate, up to 8–12 mm. long, acuminate, caducous; bracteoles inserted on the pedicel, filiform to oblanceolate, 1–7 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 11–15(–18) mm. long, spreading tomentose; upper and lateral lobes on either side usually coherent even in the mature flowers, narrowly triangular, ± twice as long as the tube.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard suborbicular, clear yellow, fading orange-red, glabrous outside; wings broadly oblong, longer than the keel; keel abruptly rounded in lower half, narrowed into the rather short blunt slightly incurved untwisted beak, (18–)21–24(–26) mm. long, lanate on the lateral surfaces towards the upper margin.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod subsessile, broadly cylindrical, 28–42 mm. long, ± 15 mm. across, long densely spreading tomentose, ± 16–18-seeded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds oblong-reniform, 4·5–5 mm. long, granulate, orange-yellow.
Habitat
Grassland, sometimes with scattered trees, Acacia bushland and riverine forest, also persisting on roadsides, cultivated and waste ground; 1100–2000 m.
Distribution
widespread in tropical Africa from Ghana to Ethiopia and south to Rhodesia and Angola K3 K4 K5 T1 T2 T4 T7 U1 U3 U4
[FTEA]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Lake Victoria regional mosaic; wooded grassland, Zambezian wooded grassland, Zambezian woodland, Sudanian woodland, Montane wooded grassland, Sudanian wooded grassland, Lake Victoria regional transition zone; woodland., Montane woodland
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

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • 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