Crotalaria pisicarpa Welw. ex Baker

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

Morphology General Habit

Annual or short-lived perennial, with a short erect leading shoot and long trailing much-divided spreading pubescent or pilose branches radiating from the base, up to 6 dm. or more long.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves 3-foliolate; leaflets narrowly to broadly elliptic or oblanceolate to obovate, up to 16–42 mm. long, 5–26 mm. wide, with those of the leading shoot up to 50–68 mm. long and proportionally narrower, glabrous or sparsely pilose above, appressed pilose beneath; petiole up to 12–34 mm. long.

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules subulate, 1–4 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Racemes subumbelliform, shorter or longer than the opposed leaf, 1–9 cm. long, ± 3–8-flowered; bracts linear, up to 1·5 mm. long; bracteoles inserted at the top of the pedicel, filiform, 0·5–1 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx shorter than the corolla, 3·5–4·5(–5) mm. long, pubescent; lobes subulate or narrowly deltoid, ± 1·25–2 times as long as the tube.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Standard suborbicular or obovate, yellow, finely veined reddish-brown and glabrous outside; wings shorter than the keel; keel bent at right-angles in the lower third, with a long tapered untwisted beak, 4·5–6(–7·5) mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pod practically sessile, subglobose, 5–6(–7) mm. long, 4–6 mm. across, 4·5–6 mm. in dorsiventral diameter, thick-walled and tardily dehiscent, densely covered with hairs obscuring the fruit-surface, ultimately somewhat glabrescent and sometimes rugulose, but without the vein-network raised, 1–3-seeded.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds sub-orbicular in outline, 3–3·5 mm. across, slightly rugulose, terracotta or pale brown.

Habitat

Deciduous bushland and thicket, secondary scrub and persisting on roadsides, cultivated ground and waste places; 950–1350 m.

Distribution

T4 T5 T7 South West Africa, Malawi and Zambia south to the Transvaal

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

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

Morphology General Habit

Annual or short-lived perennial, with a short erect stem and long trailing slender much-divided spreading-pubescent or pilose branches radiating from the base, up to 60 cm or more long.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves 3-foliolate; leaflets mostly 1.2–4.2 × 0.5–2.5 cm, narrowly to broadly elliptic or oblanceolate to obovate, with those of the leading shoot up to 7 cm long and relatively narrow, appressed pilose at least beneath; petiole 6–35 mm long; stipules 1–6 mm long, linear-subulate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Racemes leaf-opposed, subumbelliform, shorter or longer than the opposed leaf, 1–9 cm long, 3–8-flowered; bracts up to 1.5 mm long, linear; bracteoles at the top of the pedicel, filiform, small.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 3.5–4.5(5) mm long, pubescent; lobes subulate or narrowly triangular-acuminate, 1.25–2 times as long as the tube.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Standard obovate or subcircular, yellow, finely veined reddish-brown and glabrous outside; wings shorter than the keel; keel angled in the lower third, with a long straight tapered beak, 4.5–6(7.5) mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pod practically sessile, 5–6(7) × 4–6 × 4.5–6 mm, subglobose, thick-walled and tardily dehiscent, densely covered with hairs obscuring the surface, ultimately somewhat glabrescent and sometimes rugulose, 1–3-seeded.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 3–3.5 mm across, subcircular in outline, slightly rugulose, terra-cotta or pale brown.