Crotalaria

Crotalaria leptocarpa Balf.f.

First published in Trans. Roy. Soc. Edinburgh 31: 66 (1888)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is NE. Tropical Africa to Kenya, Arabian Peninsula. It is a perennial or annual and grows primarily in the desert or dry shrubland biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Diffuse perennial, with a narrow taproot, which is sometimes branched and spreading underground, and many ascending or mostly prostrate much branched stems.
Morphology Stem
Stems very slender, appressed puberulous to subglabrous.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 3-foliolate; leaflets linear-lanceolate to obovate, (6–) 12–35 mm. long, 1–9 mm. wide, glabrous above, appressed puberulous to subglabrous beneath, but with at least a few hairs along the midvein; petiole ± 4–12 mm. long.
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules subulate-caudate, 1–4 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes very lax, up to 2·5–14 cm. long, with ± 3–12 flowers on the filiform rhachis; bracts linear, ± 1 mm. long; bracteoles inserted on the pedicel, very small, or absent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx as long as the keel, appressed puberulous; lobes triangular-lanceolate, longer than the tube.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard obovate, yellow with crimson veins, puberulous along the midvein outside; wings lanceolate to obovate, longer than the keel; keel strongly rounded, with a rather short circumflexed beak, 4–5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod subsessile, laterally much flattened, elliptic-lanceolate, elliptic-falcate or shortly elliptic-oblong in outline, up to 13–22 mm. long, 5–7 mm. wide, membranous, appressed puberulous, ± 10–12-seeded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Mature seeds unknown.
Habitat
Open places in deciduous bushland, semi-desert grassland and lava plains; 390–1350 m.
Distribution
K1 Somali Republic to Socotra and tropical Arabia
[FTEA]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Somalia-Masai bushland and thicket
Morphology General Habit
Perennial, Not climbing, Herb
[ILDIS]

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

Morphology General Habit
Annual or perennial herb, with many short slender strigulose much-branched stems
Morphology Leaves Leaflets
Leaflets (1–)3, linear to obovate, 6–35(–45) x 1–9 mm, usually glabrous above, sparsely to densely appressed puberulous beneath; petiole 4–12(–20) mm long
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules and bracts linear to linear-lanceolate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes very lax, 3–12-flowered
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx ± as long as the keel, appressed puberulous; lobes longer than the tube
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard yellow veined purplish, medially puberulous outside; wings much longer than the keel; keel strongly rounded, 4–5 mm long, glabrous to thinly hairy on the sides, with a short circumflexed beak
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod flat to ellipsoid-globose, 10–22 x 5–8 mm, strigulose, c. 10–12-seeded.
[FSOM]

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 of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • 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