Crotalaria oocarpa Baker

First published in Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1897: 252 (1897)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Ethiopia to N. Malawi, SW. Arabian Peninsula. It is an annual, perennial or subshrub and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Similar to C. pilosiflora but less robust, leaflets mostly 1–2.5 × 0.4–1 cm, oblanceolate to obovate, apically rounded, pilose on both surfaces, the flowers and pods often rather smaller.
[FZ]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Afromontane grassland, Somalia-Masai grasslands
Morphology General Habit
Annual, Not climbing, Herb
[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]

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

Morphology General Habit
Erect, straggling or rarely somewhat procumbent annual or short-lived perennial, up to 1(–2) m. tall, much branched.
Morphology Stem
Stem pilose with fine spreading yellowish or white hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves mostly crowded on very short axillary shoots, appearing fasciculate, 3-foliolate; leaflets oblanceolate, rarely obovate, up to 12–20 mm. long, 4–9 mm. wide, thinly pilose on both surfaces; petiole ± 5–17 mm. long.
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules attenuate-subulate, up to 3 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences of 2 sorts, both pedunculate terminal or leaf-opposed racemes, up to 4–13 cm. long, with few to numerous somewhat laxly arranged flowers, and also with 1–4 flowers on axes up to 2 cm. long apparently axillary from the leaf-clusters; bracts linear-caudate, ± as long as the pedicel or longer, 3–7 mm. long; bracteoles inserted on the upper part of the pedicel, filiform, up to 4 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 5·5–8 mm. long, with the tube slightly protracted on the lower side, spreading pilose; upper lobes very narrowly attenuate-triangular, 2–3 times as long as the tube.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard broadly elliptic or suborbicular, yellow, veined reddish-brown and densely rather spreading pubescent outside; wings oblong-obovate, nearly as long as the keel; keel bent at right-angles in the lower half, with a narrow twisted beak, (8–) 10–12 mm. long, lanate along the upper margin.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod subsessile, ellipsoid or obovoid-ellipsoid, 8–16 mm. long, 6–9 mm. across, pilose outside and sparsely so inside, ± 8–10-seeded, rarely less.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds oblique-cordiform, ± 3 mm. long, smooth, brownish.
[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