Crotalaria

Crotalaria petitiana (A.Rich.) Walp.

First published in Ann. Bot. Syst. 2: 316 (1852)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is NE. Tropical Africa to N. Tanzania. It is an annual or subshrub and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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 annual, up to 5–20 dm. tall, usually well branched.
Morphology Stem
Stem ribbed, covered with short appressed or sometimes spreading hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 3-foliolate; leaflets very variable, narrowly oblong-lanceolate to broadly elliptic, up to 6–10·5(–15) cm. long and 1·6–3·2 cm. wide, glabrous to sparsely pubescent above, appressed pubescent beneath; petiole ± 2·5–7 cm. long.
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules absent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes terminal and leaf-opposed, pedunculate, up to 11–28 cm. long, with many closely arranged flowers; bracts long-caudate, expanded at the base, (3–)5–11 mm. long, persistent; bracteoles inserted at the base of the calyx, linear-caudate or filiform, 3–10 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx becoming basally truncate and deflexed against the pedicel, (5–)6–8 mm. long, appressed and often rather densely pubescent; lobes narrowly triangular-caudate, usually longer than the tube.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard obovate-orbicular, yellow, usually veined reddish-brown or purple, glabrous outside; wings longer than the keel; keel abruptly rounded about the middle, with a rather long slightly incurved untwisted beak, 10–12 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod shortly stipitate, shortly cylindrical, (15–) 18–24 mm. long, 6–8 mm. across, pubescent, ± (20–)26–38-seeded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds oblique-cordiform, ± 3 mm. long, smooth, ochre.
Habitat
Grassland and, at lower altitudes, swamp margins, also persisting on cultivated ground; 900–2000 m.
Distribution
K1 K3 K4 K5 K6 T1 T2 T4 U1 U2 U3 U4
[FTEA]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Guinea-Congolia/Sudania regional transition zone; grasslands., Afromontane grassland, Lake Victoria regional transition zone; grasslands
Morphology General Habit
Annual, Not climbing, Herb
[ILDIS]

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

  • 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