Crotalaria laxiflora Baker

First published in Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1895: 64 (1895)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is S. Tanzania to NE. Zambia. It is an annual and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Slender erect branching herb 25–70 cm tall, glabrous.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 3-foliolate; leaflets 7–20 × 1–2.5 mm, obcuneiform to linear-oblanceolate; petiole 2–10 mm long; stipules 0.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes 2–10 cm long, laxly 4–16-flowered; bracts 0.5–1(1.5) mm long, shortly linear-lanceolate; bracteoles 0.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 3.5–5 mm long; upper lobes attenuate-triangular, 2–3 times as long as the tube.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard elliptic, pale yellow lined brown; wings much shorter than the keel; keel 7–9 mm long, angular, with a long narrow twisted beak.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod subsessile, 5–6 × 4–4.5 mm, ovoid-globose, 1–2-seeded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 2.5–3 mm across, rounded-cordiform, smooth, with a small aril.
[FZ]

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]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Insufficiently known
Ecology
Africa: Zambezian woodland
Morphology General Habit
Annual, Not climbing, Herb
[ILDIS]

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

Morphology General Habit
Erect much-branched diffuse annual, up to 7 dm. tall.
Morphology Stem
Stem slender, glabrous.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 3-foliolate; leaflets obcuneiform to linear-oblanceolate, up to 10–22 mm. long and 1·5–2·5 mm. wide, subacute to generally truncate at the apex, long-cuneate, glabrous; petiole ± 5–9 mm. long.
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules absent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes pedunculate, lax, up to 4–10 cm. long, with generally numerous flowers on the slender rhachis; bracts shortly linear-lanceolate, less than 1 mm. long; bracteoles absent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 3·5–5 mm. long, with the tube protracted on the lower side, glabrous; upper lobes attenuate-triangular, much longer than the tube.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard elliptic, pale yellow, veined orange or brown outside, glabrous; wings markedly shorter than the keel; keel bent at right-angles in the lower quarter, with a long very narrow twisted beak slightly incurved at the tip, 7–8 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod practically sessile, sub-globose-ovoid, shortly pointed, 5–6 mm. long, glabrous, 1–2-seeded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds suborbicular-cordiform, up to 3 mm. across, without a prominent aril, smooth, brown.
Habitat
Brachystegia woodland; 1500 m.
Distribution
T4
[FTEA]

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

  • 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