Crotalaria massaiensis Taub.

First published in H.G.A.Engler (ed.), Pflanzenw. Ost-Afrikas, C: 205 (1895)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is S. Ethiopia to Uganda. It is a perennial or subshrub and grows primarily in the desert or dry shrubland biome.

Descriptions

International Legume Database and Information Service

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

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

Morphology General Habit
Procumbent or spreading perennial, much branched from the base, sometimes with underground runners.
Morphology Branches
Branches very slender, usually rather thinly appressed or somewhat spreading pubescent.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 3-foliolate; leaflets linear-lanceolate to oblanceolate or lanceolate-elliptic, up to 7–30 mm. long, 2–5(–10) mm. wide, glabrous or pilose above, thinly appressed pilose beneath; petiole slender, up to 5–19 mm. long.
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules subulate or filiform, 1–1·5(–2) mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes long and very slenderly pedunculate, with ± 6–18 very laxly arranged flowers; bracts subulate, 0·5–1 (–2) mm. long; bracteoles inserted at the base of the calyx or a little below, filiform or subulate, 0·5–1 (–1·5) mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 3–4 mm. long, appressed pubescent or subglabrous; lobes triangular, ± as long as the tube or longer.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard suborbicular or oblate, cream to yellow, veined purple and glabrous outside; wings shorter than the keel to a little longer; keel strongly rounded, with a generally rather short straight untwisted beak, 4–6(–8) mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod subsessile, shortly cylindrical, 8–11 mm. long, 3·5–4·5 mm. across, appressed pubescent, ± 20–24-seeded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds oblique-cordiform, ± 1·5 mm. long, rugulose, brown.
Habitat
Deciduous bushland and semi-desert scrub, often in sandy, rocky and lava strewn places; 180–1350 m.
Distribution
K1 K2 K4 K6 K7 U1
[FTEA]

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 Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

  • 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